


A little OFF track

by paranoidParasite



Category: OFF (Game)
Genre: Gen, Multi, Semi-Frequent Updates, slow burn?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-09
Updated: 2020-06-10
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:28:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 99,362
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24633826
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paranoidParasite/pseuds/paranoidParasite
Summary: The Batter spawns in a new game, but already something is clearly off, even when it seems to be just fine at first.
Relationships: The Batter/Dedan, The Batter/Zacharie
Comments: 9
Kudos: 125





	1. Chapter 1

The state of non-existence is nearly impossible to describe, as to properly describe what it is like to be, before being, is to essentially bring the before being, into being. To not be, means to be later, so one could suppose that the two are basically linked. You cannot not be, without having a point in time where you later have to be. 

But the state of sudden being, is something almost just as hard to describe. Eyes open to a new world, a sudden state of consciousness, a bright light that slowly dims, but closing them will not even help the searing pain of the initial flash of light, the first glimpse into a new home, unable to even see it at first. Most who come into the world will know absolutely nothing when they begin, and for the new being that was just inserted into existence, it is not much different, except for the fact he knows his name, and his purpose. His name is The Batter, and his mission is to purify the world. 

Though, that is all he knows. His name, and what he is supposed to do. Who is he to question that? He was just made after all, almost as if he was just... Thought into existence, though he will never truly know how he is here, or why. Upon opening his eyes once more, he is able to learn some simple things.  
The giant ball in the sky is very bright and hurts the eyes, keeping eyes closed is much preferable  
He seems to be sitting down on some very hard and uncomfortable ground  
It is very warm, and he is surrounded by a very warm and unknowingly large body of… something. Whatever it is, it still almost boils even with a wind current blowing across it.  
Although opening his eyes hurts, while grounding himself, Batter noticed he seemed to sport a hat, one that can shade his eyes very well. Well enough to let him get short peeks before it starts to strain him. In letting his hat shade his face better, by pulling it down on his head more, he was able to see the first face he’s seen so far, even before his own. Though, they looked much less tangible and physical than he is. Much smaller than he is as well, and not bipedal. With a wide, friendly smile, and an extended paw, the being spoke in a high pitched, but rather still soft, voice.   
“Hello!” She spoke, her translucency not changing.   
“I am here to be your puppeteer, to guide you and aid you on your journey! My name is Colour Note, but you can just call me Colour for short. We have a lot to do.”  
Her paw remained outstretched, staring at Batter with an unchanging smile. 

A moment of hesitation, dead silence clinging to their ears as each one stared at each other.   
“Okay,” Batter would say to break the silence as he took the paw gently, noting that he can’t touch her, and nor can she, but she seems to pretend that she can touch him. In that moment, a spark. A connection, and the feeling of knowing something a little greater than what he knew before. With closed eyes, seeing is not an issue, the dark once there was replaced with the faded vision of his puppeteers, surely not as bright as what she must see, but still bright enough for him to get where he's going. For the first, and perhaps last for a long time, he got a glimpse of his own face as they shook. A stark, black and white being in a world of plain, bright colours.

“Great! Stand up and let’s go!” She gleaned at him with her mouth still in a wide, toothy grin before crawling up onto his shoulder and resting herself so he could see where he was going. Before him was a flat bridge of land from the small island he occupied, to the one right across from it, having a structure sitting on it. The ground sported a bright yellow, as well as the building built on top of it, standing tall and just barely breaking the horizon. The sky seemed to be a dull pink, with the ever bright, and rather annoying orb just starting to sink below the plastic ocean. While above looks to be quite pleasing, if not painful to the eyes, the huge body of liquid was a more dull, horrible colour of yellow, almost a distastely fleshly colour, the colour of what might be sickly skin, though it is just plastic. Horrible choice of liquid to be on 90% or less of the surface, really. Though it might not have been a choice, so one should at least give props to whatever beauty one might find.

Batter said nothing as he felt a metal bat while moving a hand to get up, picking it up in a swift motion as he stood, silently moving towards where his puppeteer was looking. He stopped as they reached the bigger land mass, staring up at the building as she looked up as well, the light cloud cover that seems to be in the distance starting to quickly get farther out of view. It was an interesting sight, the brilliant lights of the sun slowly sinking under the plastic made it look almost heavenly. 

A voice comes out of the blue, pulling The Batter back into the now, drawing both their attention downwards, to another being not so different than the puppeteer. Though its fur was white in colour, it was clearly tangible like Batter, and its smile seemed permanently etched on its face with the strange teeth the feline bore. It stared up at Batter, eyes filled with curiosity and disbelief. It barely seemed to notice Batters puppeteer, if at all. It looked almost miffed that Batter was here, like he wasn’t supposed to be here, or that he couldn't be here, but is clearly here. In the end, as it spoke, it looked and sounded as if it mocked the fact that he might actually be real.  
“As there cannot be any other living beings in this zone, I must come to the conclusion that you are nothing more than a phantasm from this wretched heat. Nonetheless, I shall introduce myself.”  
The cat would come to sit down in front of Batter after slowly circling him whilst talking, looking the new strange being over very carefully.  
“I am The Judge, and I was under the impression that there was no other living beings here, so who are you?”  
It tilted its head to the side, its eyes still grazing over him.

“My name is The Batter, and my mission is to purify the world.”  
He talked in a flat tone, no expression to his voice. He was very serious in what he said, but the strange look on the cats face made him feel like he might have said something wrong. Though, how much that cat can express its own emotions is quite debatable, seeing as its face is pretty much a permanent grin. 

“Well, with such a clear holy mission as that, how can I not support your cause? But-...”  
Judge stopped there, looking Batter over again. There seemed to be confusion in his eyes, like something was missing. Something that he felt should be there, but he cannot see. After a while of looking at what clearly wasn’t there to him, he looked over at the sky, and the setting sun. Although it was going down, it was still very warm out here.   
“It would be best if we finish this conversation inside, if you really are alive, you must be boiling in those clothes.”  
The cat got to its feet and walked towards the building, climbing up a ladder all the way to the top. If Batter really was tangible, he would be able to climb that ladder with no problem. With a quick pause to take in his surroundings, that's just what Batter and his puppeteer did, to the surprise of The Judge. The unconscious annoyance on his face upon having to climb a very tall ladder in the heat in contrast to the controlled emotionless stare that Batter has was more than enough to tip Judge off that he is just as alive as him, even if something was still feeling a little off. It was much warmer up here, so as much as they may both want to take a break, going inside is the best idea. So while Judge led them inside, he spoke.  
“I admit, I was wrong to think you are a phantasmic being, you could climb up with no issue. It is much cooler inside, but there are a few things to do first.”

As they descended the stairs to the top level, the door to the next one was locked behind a puzzle. It was quick work for the puppet and his puppeteer, though Batter chose to not really listen to Judge as he talked while they were solving it. He assumed it wasn't that important, and he sort of just wanted to go cool down more, it was very humid up here. He heard bits and pieces, something about spectres being aggressive, but he didn't really care at the moment. If that's what he’s purifying, then that's totally fine with him. The next two floors were locked with puzzles as well, and just like the last they didn’t hold them back from advancing for very long, not like the puzzles were really hard at all, they were pretty straight forward as puzzles go in their eyes. 

With the last puzzle solved, the descended to the first floor, a food and water bowl at the very end of the room. Judge gave off an exasperated cry of relief as he rushed to the bowls, munching on the food as if he was starving. Batter didn’t like the messy sight, so he decided to explore the door that was at the back wall of the floor, leading to something outside.

Now behind the building, a little land bridge to another small, square island sat not too far away. In the middle of the island was a floating red box, slowly bobbing up and down with the gentle waves crashing on the side of the hard ground. When they reached the box, Judge came up behind them.  
“Ah, I see you have found the Save Cube! They restore your health, and these red ones take you to The Nothingness, it's how we travel to other zones. Wait here a second.”  
Judge ran back inside for a second, speeding back out with something in his mouth. Batter took it, looking it over with a puzzled look on what it’s even for.  
“That will get you into Zone 1, so you can begin your mission.”

Batter found the permanent smile to be a tad unsettling, but it’s only because it hinders his ability to read how the cat is feeling. Is it a good grin? A bad one? Who knows, he's always doing it.  
“Thank you,” he said in a quick response. A quick exchange of goodbyes, and with a touch of the cube, everything suddenly flooded to black, even with his eyes open. It was like an empty void, whispers echoing from the very back of it, calling out to him from all directions. It was instantly disorentating, as at first he had no idea which way was which, until he looked down. Where he was standing was a rough pattern, lit up under his feet. Clearly, it was where Zone 0 is, as he was just there. And just a bit farther away, is another rough pattern on a void filled floor. Although a bit frightening, walking over to the next zone entry point was quite simple, just like walking on the ground. The voices stayed the same, no matter where he moved though, always out of reach, but still loud enough so he can hear it. They got louder at times, and quite at others, but it was non stop almost. He didn’t know if he preferred when they whispered to him, or when they all hushed themselves. He wouldn’t have to stay in The Nothingness for very long, because as soon as he stepped on the next pattern, it lit up in a flash, forcing them both to shut their eyes, Zone 1 forming around them in a split second.

The sound of rain filled the air, heavy pitter patter and blowing winds whirling around. The clouds that they saw from before must have been a huge storm, this one. The temperature here was much cooler, almost cold from the rain. The vast plastic ocean didn’t bubble under the heat of the sun here, rather it was yanked and pulled around by the winds, no sun in sight. Not too far away was a tram, and some local residents. Going in there to escape the rain might be the best idea. It was stopped right now, so if they hurried before it took off again, they could get there. The feeling of wet clothes was already getting sort of uncomfortable to Batter, he didn't like how they clung to him now that they were getting soaked. The rapid temperature change was more than uncomfortable already for Batter, from extreme heat to wet cold, it wasn’t what anyone might dream their first day of existing being like. Then again, it seems a little hard to dream anything like what will happen today.

With his puppeteer still on his shoulders, being his eyes so he doesn’t have to use his, he made a careful dash to get to the public transport before it left. The last of the residents were pilling in as he arrived just in time. It was a rather small car, so it was going to be a bit crowded in there, but they were all soaked all the same, so neither of them found any issues in going in. It was better than waiting for an emptier one and getting soaked. They entered the rather full car before it takes off, starting a somewhat long and bumpy ride. Looking around, the two noticed that the ones standing were grabbing onto some handles attached to something above them. They were also all much smaller than Batter, and a lot were nervously staring or glancing at him. Hushed whispers and stressed wheezes were only barely heard by the bumpy tracks, cluing Batter into grabbing a handle as well, for safety reasons. Also to try and fit in, as he already started to feel almost alien. So far, he has found no one that looks quite like him. Sure, the elsens are a pale white like him, but they were so… Scared, even of him. What could possibly make them so nervous? He’s not going to hurt any of them, they know that, right? Why would he ever? They haven't done anything wrong, as far as he’s concerned. Maybe they just don’t see strangers that often, which seems fair. Whatever this place is, it doesn’t seem like the kind of place that might win a diversity award. All these men look basically the same. Speaking of which, there appears to be little to no sexual diversity. Well, actually it seems to be basically none at all, seeing as their body types only really change in height. Is that why they are scared? Is he too tall for them? He can't exactly control his height, now can he? Maybe it's how stoic he looks? His lack of expression? He can't really help that either- can he? He isn't sure. What he can be sure about, is that the trip was a lot shorter than expected when you are lost in your head trying to figure out what went wrong. The tram came to a sudden, and screechy hault, letting out an exhausted huff before the doors opened. The citizens poured out of the small car, incidentally pushing Batter out with them. It was a little much for him, all the sudden movement- so he had to kindly step to the side once out, watching them all get off and all walk to the same place. 

The rain still poured here, the wind still blowing. Workers with hard hats ran across a work site in the distance, doing who knows what. Buildings and what look to be mine entrances stood in the distance. When walking closer to all the commotion, they were able to see that the workers were rushing to block off the mines with bags, trying to keep too much water from pouring into the mines so they don’t have to pump as much water out when it. They already have most of the barriers in place, hinting that the storm as hit for a while, or they were prepared ahead of time. Either one could be a safe assumption, really.

A small hand below his chest snapped him out of thought. Looking down, it seemed to be one of the workers. He has a firm, but still frightened face to him.  
“Uh- Sir, you uh- you can’t be here. This is a work zone.”

“I am here to purify this zone of spectres.”  
Batter stepped back to give the small man space, watching his expression get softer as he said that.

“Ah- I see. We weren’t expecting an inspector for a while now- but uh- we really do- uhm. We really need the spectres in the mines cleared out so we can go back to normal operations- but um..”  
He paused a little bit, thinking. He seemed nervous, just like the rest of them. He looked behind him at the two mine tunnels in the ground behind them, deep in thought before he looked back at Batter.  
“Well uh- I don't recognize you, so you must be new and that means I can’t really let you into the uh- the uhm. The mines. By- uh, by the way! You are in the smoke mines of Damien, this is where we mine for the pockets of smoke under the ground so we have air to breathe. Smoke is the most important element, because without it, no one would have anything to breathe. We uh- we also take the materials we mine to uh- to Zone 3 so it can uh- so it can be processed into other things we can use.”  
The man turned around and pointed to a tunnel, looking back at Batter.  
“That uhm- That’s the annex tunnel. I cannot let you into uh- the uhm. I can't let you in the uh- the main tunnel, but we believe the chief of spectres is down there. So uh- if you could just… Pop on down there and take care of it, the rest should uh- the rest should leave, and uh- and then the uh- other Elsens can uhm- go back to work.”  
He gave a barely real smile, waiting for the tall, strange man to answer. Batter looked at the tunnel. If it was really that easy, it can’t be too hard to do this. Then again, it feels too easy. Nonetheless, he isn’t getting into that main tunnel until he clears that one out. So, he just walked past the Elsen, going over to the annex tunnel. He stuttered as Batter just walked away, but just mumbled a soft “okay,” as Batter got out of range.

Stepping over the somewhat small barrier around the annex tunnel, he peered down into the dark, descending staircase. Rain ran down the steps as the rain around the tunnel had nowhere to go but down. At least the rain around it is unable to reach the entrance, so it won't be AS flooded. Then again, as the two slowly and carefully made their way down the steps, there was already a small pool of water coating the entire floor. The wind and rain had made this mine more than wet, the torches on the sides of the wall blown out. 

“I can't see in here, it’s too dark, but I can see a light at the end there. I cant guide you through here, but maybe you can see down here..”  
Batters puppeteer, Colour spoke up. She was just a cat, with no light to work off of at all, there was no way she could see down there. Though, because there wasn’t any light, that means he can open his eyes without them being strained by the death ball that floats in the sky. Opening his eyes, he wasn’t completely sure of what he was seeing himself. Indeed, he could see, but it looked nothing like what he was seeing through his puppeteer. The water on the floor was barely even visible to him, it was almost ice cold. The walls of the mine weren’t much better, freezing cold blues with pockets of slightly warm hues, and at the very end, a hot white ring of light. If that were to be a chief of spectres, it sure doesn’t look too frightening. What can that even do? Though, it looks VERY hot, so perhaps touching it might be a death sentence. Who knows.

Readying his bat, he slowly made his way to the other side, keeping his eyes locked on the glowing, burning ring in front of them. Disappointing that this will be his first fight, and his puppeteer can't even see to help him. Unless the weird vision goes both ways? He isn’t sure, and will for sure have to ask about that later. It only makes sense if it does, how else is she supposed to help in battle? What does she even do, other than work as another set of eyes and a friend? Does he need her? It probably would be helpful to have her around, especially when he’s in over his head, so there’s that- Batter abruptly stops, realizing he's in front of the ring now. Of course, he got lost in his thought again, but he won’t let that happen this time, thinking during battle takes too long, he has a bat! Might as well just break shit with it. He stepped back and started to raise his bat when he heard a familiar voice.

“Wait!”  
From behind, The Judge came trotting out from the dark, soaked, cold, and sounding a little out of breath, like he rushed here.  
“That is no spectre, my friend. That is what we call an Add-On. They assist you in battle.”  
Judge strided towards the Add-On, curiosity in his eyes.  
“I have always wanted to see one up close, but sadly they do not appear very often, and are very picky with who they choose. You are a holy man, maybe something will happen if you touch it?”  
The cat looked up at Batter, giving him a look that urged him to touch it. Judge has been helpful this long, he sees no reason to suddenly not trust him, so why not touch it? Hesitantly reaching a hand out, Batter was still a little weary of this thing. Luckily, as soon as his hand came close to it, it gently moved into his hand, letting him grab it. It was hot, but it didn't burn. It was like what one might describe as a “healing light.” Or perhaps a holy one, but comparisons don't quite matter to Batter. As he held the Add-On, he slowly turned it over, looking at it. An instant connection was felt as he held it, a friendly energy.  
“Fantastic!”  
Judge cried out in joy, bringing Batter's attention back to him.  
“Now with an Add-On in your party, you should be more than equipped to go into the main mine!”  
The cat smiled at him widely, unnerving Batter a little. He still doesn’t like how that cat always has a smile, it must be hell to have that all the time.

“Of course.”  
Batter replied short and sweet, turning on his heels and walking out quickly, letting go of his new ring friend, letting it follow behind him. He wasn’t one for talking, it was pointless. And awkward, he wasn’t sure on what to say, so saying nothing is much easier, and more logical.

As the new trio, but only visible duo, exited the small mine shaft, the Elsen that let them in ran up to Batter in a panic.  
“You-You were suppose to take out the chief of spectres!! Why is it- Why-”  
He made frantic gestures to the large ring. Batter looked back at the Add-On- which he somehow knows is named Alpha, and then back at the Elsen.

“That isn’t the chief of spectres.”

“It- It’s not?”  
He nervously straightened his tie- the same tie every one of them seem to sport. White work shirt, tie, formal pants and shoes. Unless they seem to be a miner, then the clothes aren’t so nice it looks like.  
“Well- That’s a relief- but that uh. That still means the uh. The mines need to uhm. Be uh- be cleared. I- I uh. I guess I uh- I can let you in- even uhm.. Even if it is against code…”  
The small worker looked down, worried, then back up at the tall mister.  
“So uh- I uh.. I guess you can go in now- but uh.. Don't uh.. Don’t take too long please. Being trapped in the mines during a storm like this isn't something you want to do on your own.”  
The Elsen fiddled with his fingers as he slunk away, hoping that this decision was the right one. They really needed those mines cleared, and this might be their best chance at getting it safer for the workers.

With the main mine now open to him. Batter went over to the other tunnel, stepped over the barrier, and descended, not knowing what to expect. As soon as his foot hit the floor of the minem he could already tell that this mine was a lot more dry, meaning it was a lot larger than the other one. Luckily, the torches in this mine were still mostly intact, meaning his puppeteer could still see just fine. Although she could see just fine, neither of them would see what was coming for them. Purifying the mines sounded like a pretty easy task. You go in, you shout at and beat some spectres, then you get out. Though, things were already off after the first encounter with spectres. Calling for them drew them out, of course, and of course it would bring a bunch of them, that much was to be expected. The first battle was nothing special, though it did clue Batter into how much purifying spectres can hurt if you let them touch you. It’s sensible for the Elsens to be scared, he finally gets that much. Though, when they said they had spectres in the mine, he was NOT expecting an infestation. Just about each corner he rounded, he was met with more spectres, and with only the items he could find in various chests, it was clear he wasn’t well equipped for this. Sure, he knew how to fight, and Alpha was very helpful, but the farther they got in, the worse it all got. After a while, torches were no longer lit and it was all dark. If he made too much noise, they would hear him and come towards him, the only way around this was to be more quiet when walking. 

Walking into the pitch black area of the mine, it felt like he had lost the onslaught of spectres to the shadows at last. Finally, a safe haven to get himself together and think of a better game plan. A small area connecting a bunch of different mine shafts together worked as the perfect resting spot. Many escape routes if he needs to, and a big area so he is less likely to get cornered, like with what happens so often. This mine was much warmer than the last, the pockets of smoke making the wall in front of it much warmer than the rest of the surface. It was also supported a lot more, which Batter wasn’t quite sure if that made him feel more or less safe. Is it made stronger because they don’t want to take chances? Or is it because they mined so much that the ground is unstable? Either way, the thought of having to mine for air was… Strange to say the least, but he won’t question that too much.

Ghostly howls and ghoulish wails started to creep closer, echoing off the walls. The sign of spectres, a sudden cold room, they had found him all right. And not so long after he stopped for a rest. Shaking these guys off might be next to impossible, it was starting to feel like. He was already pretty wounded from other fights, Gashes not even fully healed, because using the so called “tickets” to heal during fights wasn’t as effective if you are pumped full of adrenaline from trying to survive. It works, sure, you feel less pain, but that’s not totally what he’s looking for. Not that it really matters all that much to Batter, scar’s are fine, it's not like they are useless ones. Though, this will hinder his ability to keep fighting a little. As he stood, the spectres started slowly creeping in on him from all sides. They had cornered him in here, the very thing he was trying to prevent. Perhaps he still has a bit to learn, but for now, survival is the only thing that matters. He would have to pick a hallway and fight his way to get down it- but the problem is, he has no idea which ones might be dead ends. He assumes forward is the only way out, which would make sense, but it might be harder to get out.

With a sudden thwack against his back, Batter was sent flying to the ground, a warm, tingly feeling as blood ran down his spine. A loud, painful screech from the spectre, and Alpha has already targeted it, slashing through it like a knife to butter. That was the worst part, one could argue. The horrid sounds these things make, enough to haunt your dreams if you’re unlucky enough. Laying on the ground is a horrible fighting strategy, so he hopped up onto his feet, and just started swinging at the first spectres he saw. They were coming from the hallways pretty fast, boxing them in. The best way to survive this, is to simply not be there, but that means running away, but is it really running away if you will come back to it? Running would be the best option at this point, Batter felt himself considering as with every whack he could lay on a spectre or two, they could easily lay another on him. Tired and bleeding badly, he could NOT keep this up. He had to get out, no matter what. Spirits of the dead, or terrifying monsters won't keep him from getting out of here, no way. Alpha easily sliced a path forward, towards a hallway as Batter gestured to him to do so, hanging by the entrance as he made a mad dash for it.

A shrill scream echoed off the walls as Batter fell to the ground just by Alpha, a spectre having caught him while he was running, slashing at him as he tried to dodge it, resulting in the attack hitting lower, tearing a big gash into Batter's abdomen. It stung and burned like fire, the blood trying to gush out felt even worse. Alpha flung itself at the wretched thing, slicing it in half before swinging by his pal, helping him to his feet so he could keep one hand on it, and one hand pressing on the wound. It followed Batter’s puppeteer, who was making a mad dash for wherever, unable to really see.

They ended up in a strange, long hallway with a secured door at the end. The handle was a wheel you had to turn, which wouldn’t be much of a problem if Batter didn’t have to keep one hand on him right now. With the spectres hot on their trail still. They had no choice but to open the door. He put one hand on it, and turned with all the strength he had left. Making the wheel suddenly jerk into movement, unlocking it, and allowing for Batter to body slam into it to open it. That of course, wasn’t the best idea, as it caused him to stumble, but he was able to close it the same way, so that’s fine he supposes. All that matters now, is that he is safe. Safe from the spectres and able to rest, now that everything is starting to feel strange. Perhaps that’s just the blood loss, he doesn’t quite care.

“... Hello?”  
A strange voice rang out from behind him, sounding concerned. No one could really blame the guy, Batter must look like a mess from the back. He looks even worse from the front, so he didn’t take it too harshly when he turned around to face the stranger, and he saw them look even more worried. Batter figures he looks horrible, such a shame someone he doesn’t even know has to see him like this, unprepared for the very job he was supposed to do. The man behind Batter stood behind a counter, sporting a frog-like mask and some very messy and unkempt black hair. Just like every other being here, he seems to lack colour as well. The man, much smaller in stature, but still much taller than an elsen, slowly walked around his counter, looking at the beaten and battered man in his shop.

“I apologize, I needed somewhere to hide.”  
Batter took a heavy step forward as he started to feel things almost spin, tightening the pressure on the gash he was holding with as much as his arm as possible. The smaller man kept slowly coming closer, slowly holding his hands up, carefully reaching out to Batter with an almost mortified look.

“No, don't say sorry mon ami, spectre attacks happen often…”  
He got more obviously nervous as he took another step towards Batter, watching him take another, even heavier step forward, his almost stoic face drooping into one of subtle pain. He could see all the tears in Batters tunic, all the fresh blood stains from him just trying to get through. He knows that Batter should be able to handle them, but the fact that he’s in this bad of shape is enough to tip him off that something isn’t right anymore. Another laboured step, and he could tell the injured other is starting to lean forward, so he took a few quick steps forward, ready to catch him. And catch him he did, as when Batter fell, he caught him in his arms, but fell down with him, as Batter was a little too heavy for him like this. They both fell down with a grunt, but Batter's fall was cushioned by the smaller man.  
“Ah- mon ami, you have to be more careful, look at you…”  
He gave another worried look, glancing down at how Batter was holding himself in pain.

“My name isn’t mon ami. My name is The Batter and-”

“I know that isn’t your name, I am just calling you what I call everyone, but since we are getting formal now, I am Zacharie, and I am not going to hear another peep out of you until I get you feeling better. Look at you, you giant oaf! All scratched up like a cat’s post.”  
Zach picked Batter up under his arms, getting Alpha to help carry him to the counter, placing him on it carefully. Batter resisted a little at first, but didn’t have the energy to fight on this. His body ached, skin burning under his own blood. His back was the warmest, tunic drenched in black blood from the huge cuts in his back. All of his clothes were covered in his own blood, but the back of his tunic was the worst, and around the massive slit that he had to hold, or else risk losing his insides. Personally, that is a very terrifying thought to him, and the fact he didn’t realize that sooner was quite shocking. He really ran into this head first, without even thinking. Even his puppeteer had a look of guilt on her face, empathetic towards his pain. Had she known this was going to happen, she would have never sent him in like this, but the past is the past, and now she has to hope that Zacharie can help, as she cannot do anything. The downside to puppeteering, you never really get to help too much, as you can mostly observe, observe and suggest.

“I don’t even know you, how can I know I can trust you?”

“The same way I know I can trust you. You don’t, mon ami Batter, you just have to place your trust in a person at times, like you should trust me now, or you will for sure die. I am not going to sugar coat it for you, you need my help now or else you will not make it.”  
Zacharie placed a hand on the arm covering the abdomen wound, staring Batter in the shadowy void of the shade covering his eyes.  
“Now I need you to trust me, okay?”  
His words fell on baited breath, his fingers slowly moving under Batter’s hand so he could look at how bad the damage underneath was, eyes locked on whatever facial features he could see past the mask that his baseball cap provided for his eyes. The stoic look on his face, although already clearly masking the immense pain he was in, twitched into a slight look of worry before hardening back up into the normal, emotionless face he gave everyone.

“Okay.”  
Batter spoke softly, letting Zach take his hand and move his arm away to get a look at it. Everything burned even more as he stopped applying pressure, thick, tar blood dribbling out. It was bad, really bad. Zach’s face, although hidden behind an almost comical mask, was clearly worried. His eyes could tell him everything, he just had a feeling that this stranger wasn’t expecting this to happen, like he was expecting to meet him in a different way.

A sharp, unbearable pain suddenly shot through him, causing him to jerk up and let out a pained cry as Zach had poked the area gently, slamming his hand on it once Batter moved. Zach aggressively held onto Batter’s hand as Batter himself had squeezed because of the pain.

“BATTER!”  
The smaller man screamed at him, furious that he moved.  
“I told you not to move! Lay back down! You’re going to hurt yourself even more!”  
Zacharie’s voice was firm, commanding Batter to lay back down, so he did. Who is he to argue on what could be his deathbed. What a shame if he did die here, it was only his first day, it would be a big joke if this was all for nothing. Is he really supposed to purify everything? He couldn’t even take on what this mine had to throw at him. Or maybe it was just unlucky timing, perhaps just that. Hopefully that. He hopes this is all just one big mistake.

“My apologies.”

“Don’t be sorry, mon ami, you’re lucky you were able to find my little shop here.”  
Zacharie palmed over the bloody mess, staring at all the black that wiped onto his hand, and all the blood on Batter’s clothes. No way he can keep wearing this. To help with the pain, Zach tore off a tattered chunk of Batter’s shirt, shoving it into his mouth as he was breathing with his mouth open, each breath in pain.  
“Now bite down on that chunk of cloth if you start to hurt, because you aren’t going to like what I might need to do. You are clearly in too much pain for me to use any tickets on you yet, no one wants improperly healed wounds because you were too stressed for it to work right. Lucky for you, I don't go anywhere without a back up kit for situations like this.”  
He pushed Batters arm back down to apply pressure as he rummaged through huge sacks of items behind the counter. It wasn’t hard for him to find what he was looking for, bandages so he could keep all the bleeding down while he looked for the other items he needed. Forcing Batter to sit up, he grabbed the bottom of both of Batter’s shirts, the top tunic and the bottom black one, and looked at him with a serious look.  
“I have to take these off if I'm going to help you. Are you okay with this?”

“...I don’t really have a choice, if I don’t let you, I keep bleeding, what kind of question is that?”

“A stupid one, appearently…”  
So with one swift movement, he took the tops off and hurriedly started wrapping up Batter’s torso, keeping all the really bad wounds at bay so he could buy them more time. He noticed there were some pretty bad ones on his arms as well, but he didn’t care about those as much, Batter’s arms worked just fine, so it was all okay in his eyes.  
“You stay here, DO NOT MOVE. I will be back.”  
He put a hand on Batt’s shoulder, giving a small nod and walking away, the hand sliding off as he left. The other just gave a simple, and short nod, patiently waiting.

His head spun, and he still felt awful. The bandages hugged his body, secured with a simple pin, but it all still burned. His back was raging hot as his blood soaked into the bandages, slowly spreading. He couldn't help but hold himself to help ease his pain. This was all awful, he didn’t understand what went wrong. It had to be outside of his control, he didn’t even know what he was doing, it was practically miserable. What does he do after he purifies everything? Will anything even be left if he does? Is getting rid of everything worth all of what's to come? Or is what’s to come make it worth trying to purify everything? Why is this even his job, he didn’t exactly ask for this. Why him? What has gone so wrong that he had to be brought into existence, into a cruel and cold world nonetheless. Zacharie is the only being that has looked at him like he almost knew him, but maybe it’s not even that look, Batter can’t fully tell through that mask. All he sees in Zach’s eyes is pity, a feeling that almost stings just as much as the pain he is in right now. Is pity a good thing? Do you want someone to pity you? Or does that mean they are seeing you as helpless? What even is the emotion in Zach’s eyes, Batter didn’t really know. How could he, this is his first day. He doesn’t know this man, he doesn’t know anything. Everything is just cold, this world and- Batter himself. He feels freezing, or is his body just shaking on its own? He doesn’t know, everything hurts way too much, it’s all too much, he doesn’t understand.

“Hey, I’m here now.”  
Zach’s voice, and his hand on Batter’s shoulder brought him back from his thoughts. Zacharie had supplies in one hand, placing them on the table.  
“I’m going to help you out, but I need you to take this.”  
He handed over a bottle of water, and something small and white, sort of disk shaped.  
“You have to swallow it whole, the water will help with that. It’s so this doesn’t hurt.”  
He held them out as he waited for Batt to think of if he should do it or not. Eventually, he decided he would, downing it quickly with water and laying down as Zach gently pushed him back onto the table.  
“Now just close your eyes and let your mind drift a little, okay?”  
His eyes were soft as he started at the large, bleeding man on the counter, trying to look comforting. How could Batter not trust this man? He has no other choice, he has to. If he doesn’t, he won't make it, and he will probably fade away, just as his thoughts fade from him now, before eventually he isn’t conscious anymore.


	2. Are you seriously expecting a title out of me?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Batter wakes up after being helped by Zacharie and quickly finds himself stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Dreaming is always a strange thing, it always means something different to different people. A dream to one can mean something completely different to a similar dream of another. While dreaming itself may not be something to label something as “Human,” it is enough to say that it is alive enough to have feelings. No one will ever truly understand the dream realm, whether it is just one place we all share, or all our own little dream worlds we return to each night, it is all different. Dreams evoke different feelings for everyone, some even say that Dreaming is just a way to process emotions. Nightmare’s process fear, a fear that you may not understand. It tries to tell you what’s going on, but dreams are always too clouded to get the full message, if one even exists. Not everyone dreams, and not everyone who dreams remembers those dreams, but feelings can last, and memories don't always fade right away.

Cold sweat and a tight chest, cool air and a loud ringing in his ears, Batter woke up to some very uncomfortable circumstances. Aching body, sore side, unknown place, a hard bed. A dark and unfinished wall sat in front of him as he started to come to, laying on his side. His body no longer burned, his stomach no longer felt like it was torn apart, but his muscles felt like they were strained, some of them maybe even pulled from pushing himself so hard. The ringing in his ears died down slowly, the swimming of his thought’s clearing as the dream in his system slowly faded away, only little blips of memories to remember the sleep by. He had no blanket on him, but some new tops were draped over around his shoulders to help keep him warm. It appeared that Zach had replaced the old, bloody bandages with new, clean ones. He was unsure why he might need them, but perhaps if he worked himself too hard again and tore an old wound up might be it. Can he even do that? What did Zach do? He closed his eyes and now he’s here- on some large, over-stuffed sack that was being used as a bed.

Rolling over on his side, Batter got up and off the bed, holding onto the clean clothes before they dropped to the floor. Standing up made his head spin, making him stumble and kneel down slightly. Perhaps going back into battle right away isn’t the best idea, but if he doesn’t purify those spectres, who will? Clearly no one else is doing it, because it's dangerous. They are wise for staying away, but now he has to clear all of them out, and the more he thinks about it, the less possible that even seems. All of those guys? He couldn’t even stand his own in the damn mine. Who says they won't just bring more? All these questions won't just answer themselves, and he wants answers. So he slips the new clothes on, buttoning and tucking in his tunic. There might be a problem, though. He can’t remember where his bat is for the life of him. The few spectres he did purify, he did get some credits off of them, so perhaps if he just pays for one, if Zach even has the damn things. Baseball doesn’t seem like it’s even a thing here. What is even Baseball? Batter just realized he doesn’t even really know what it is himself. Does it matter? Probably not.

The room Batt was in was a storage room, boxes and bags, sacks and barrels of stuff sat about. It was all pretty full, and the door leading to the other room was luckily a two way door, so he wasn’t stuck in here or anything. He walked up to the door in a few quick strides, hand hovering over the handle as he heard soft pacing from the other side. Zach must be awake. Grabbing hte handle, he opened the door and pushed through, putting his hand in his pocket to start digging out credits for Zach. Zacharie was indeed pacing, hand on the bottom of his mask as he thought. The counter had dried blood on it from last night, only barely cleaned up. The masked man turned to look at Batter, sounding happy to see him.

“Ah, you’re finally awake! And you found the clothes I’ve given you as well, good! How are you feeling, any better?”

“Much, thank you for saving me.”  
Batter pulled out a good few credits and tried to hand them to Zach.  
“Here, because you did that for me. I should give back somehow.”

“Oh- Oh no! No, no, no! I am not going to take payment for saving you, mon ami. As much as I would love to, I don’t think I could morally do that to you. It’s on the house this time. Though…”  
He quickly snatched the credits anyways, sliding off behind the counter and rummaging through his bags before pulling out a clean, metal bat, and heading back over to Batter.  
“Here! It’s a better bat than the one you had before, you’re going to need this. I took a little off the price, just this once my friend.”

“... Are you sure?”  
Batter hesitantly took the bat, turning it over in his hands and looking at it.

“Very sure!”

“... You are an odd little man.”  
Batter looked up from the bat, and right at Zach.  
“I was expecting some sort of catch.”  
The other chuckled slightly, his tone changing.

“Ah, well you are quite the smart one, aren’t you? I wouldn’t call it so much of a catch, but more of a deal. Look, I’m willing to offer you a few things, and in return, you stick with me. I have a feeling you are going to be needing all the help you can get. I will let you wander wherever you want, and you can keep purifying, but at the end of the day you always have to return back to wherever home base is. And in return, I’ll protect you from the guardians, and you wont need to purify them in order to get to the next Zone. You are really going to need help getting past Dedan, mon ami. He’s not too friendly towards… anyone. He’s a little hot-headed, if you will. I don’t want you getting that badly hurt again, so I’m willing to help you.”  
He laced his fingers together, smiling at Batter from under his mask, waiting for him to think, and think Batter did.

“Hm.”  
There was a period of pure silence, wondering what to do. It would be stupid not to take it, it seems fair enough.  
“Okay, I don’t see why not. If you want me to stick around, I suppose I will. You seem useful to my mission.”

“Indeed I am, Batter! And you are very useful to me as well, so it’s all mutual. A mutual partnership.”  
Zach patted Batter on the shoulder, sliding his hand off and starting to get a little serious.  
“Now… We have the issue of getting out of here. I haven’t had anyone come down here in days, I set up shop here for the miners, I sell them things while they are down here, it’s great business when they are actually working… Clearly all those spectres made it too dangerous to send anyone down here, and because you didn’t come out of the mine yet… They are going to assume you died down here. None of the elsens would dare go into the mines if that’s what’s going on.”  
His voice started to sound worried as he put a hand on the bottom of his mask again, thinking.  
“And the only one who can take care of them here would be… Dedan.. He would most likely come down here himself and look for a dead body so they could work again. And clear out all the spectres… If he doesn’t see you dead, he’s going to know you survived somehow. I should be the only one here..”  
He fell silent as he started to think more. Batter just started at Zach, puzzled.

“If seeing you will make him think I am alive still, why don't we just get out of here? He can’t see you alive down here if you aren’t down here.”

“Well, you see mon ami, we would need to hide you somewhere, and right now the mines are the best place for you to hide. It’s dark down here so you can hide from Dedan easier. Unless we just try to skip Zones and go to Zone 2, but over there you have Japhet, and I don’t think he would take kindly to you bashing all the spectres.”

“...Why not?”

“I can explain all that when we actually get there, Batter. For now, keeping you safe should be what we are concerned about.”

“But why?”  
Batter was getting really confused, it almost… Upset him.  
“I have a bat and the ability to kill spectres, I am not some fragile being, Zacharie. I may be hurting, but I am just fine. Pain won't stop me from doing anything.”  
Zach just sighed and shook his head.

“Says the man who walked in here half dead already. You’re lucky you came here, if you were anywhere else, you would have died.”  
Batter grunted at Zach’s statement, looking away.  
“Look, mon ami, I don’t mean to offend you, I am just worried. I am not meant to meet you like this, this is not at all what is supposed to happen. I just don’t want anything horrible happening to you before you even get a shot at anything. I wasn’t going to just let you die there, I’m not some monster. I just want to make sure that you aren’t throwing yourself into anything else you can’t handle. You may be tough now, but even a sword can be dulled by a grindstone”  
He gently took Batter’s wrist and started at him.  
“I don’t want to see you get too terribly hurt. Is that such a crime?”  
Silence fell, just as Batter’s arm did when Zach let go of his wrist.

“...There was a big storm last night, the annex tunnel was getting pretty flooded, this one might be too. We don’t know if we can even get out yet. The water seemed to be fine when I went down, but I don’t know how much it would have grown overnight. I am not sure how we are supposed to get out of this, Zacharie.”  
The question was ignored, yet answered in his own way. He said nothing, so clearly he knew Zach was right. And Batter was right as well, he doesn’t quite know how to get out of this yet either, this is quite the pickle.  
“If Dedan is going to be checking the mines, we can assume he’s probably already looking. I would go out there to look for any trail of purified spectres, but I had left my own trail, and he is already looking for me, so it really isn’t the best idea. You didn’t expect the scene to be free of blood, did you? He’s going to see that I came here if he is able to see the trail I left, that is, if he can even see in the dark. All the torches were blown out.”

“How did YOU see in the dark, mon ami?”

“... That is completely irrelevant to what's going on, focus.”  
Batter frowned at the question. No, you are not allowed to know what is under this shade. His eyes are very personal to him, if you want to see his eyes, it’s not going to come easy. Good thing Zach picked up on that fact very quickly.  
“If he follows it back here, he’s going to know a body should be here.”  
He then pointed over to the counter, his face looking a little more expressive, but in a hard-to-read way.  
“I should be dead right there according to all this blood. Unless we convince him I somehow escaped before you woke up after you saved me, if I stay here I’m a dead man standing.”

“You’re equally as dead if you go back out there.”  
There was audible annoyance to his voice.

“Yes, that is also correct. So, what do we do? Clearly, I am not the smartest one here, as you like to point out subtly… As you can tell, I am more of a jump right into the danger sort of guy, as you have also pointed out.”  
Batter crossed his arms as Zacharie shook his head at what was said and sighed.

“Batter- I wasn’t trying to imply anything, mon ami. Look- You are totally right. We need to figure something out, but we won't get anywhere acting like this. I understand your frustration, and I promise I will get you out of here, but you have to trust me.”  
Zach hesitantly started to reach a hand to grab Batt’s face in an attempt to be calming, but slowly drew away and huffed to himself.  
“Being thrown into something you don’t understand is very stressful, but you just have to keep your head up and know that you’ll get out. Now if you are ready to work with me, we should put our heads together and really try to think of a plan.”  
They stared at each other before one broke the tension. Batter simply muttered “okay,” and took what Zach said a little literally, leaning over and gently putting his head against Zach’s, really confused on what this was supposed to do. What it did in reality was make Zach laugh, gently pushing Batter away..  
“No- No not literally, dear. I mean we should come up with a plan together.”

“Oh-”

“No worries, don’t think too much of it, I tend to forget how literally you take things. But how can you blame me when this is the first time we have properly met?”  
Zach just played it off with a hard chuckle, patting Batter on the shoulder carefully.  
“I think you might have been on to something when you said that Dedan would follow your trail of blood here.”  
He walked over to the stained counter, staring at it.

“...If you are suggesting I play dead, it wont work. Not by a long shot. He would see me breathing.”

“Easy fix, we cover you with something so he won't see it as notably.”

“He might want to see to prove that I am dead.”

“Why would monsieur Dedan ever question me?”

“How could I somehow get my ass kicked by spectres?”  
Silence, another stand still.  
“Maybe we really should just run. I doubt he could catch up with us. If the mine’s are the safest, then I should be hiding there. If I will meet Dedan eventually, at least I can lose him in the mines because I can see and hopefully he can’t.”

“If you and Dedan meet, I’m not letting you do it alone, maybe I can convince him not to kill you on sight. I bet you two could get along if he wasn’t so… Well, you’ll see when you see him…”  
Zacharie crossed his arms, looking at the counter still.  
“We don’t have any plan, and we have no way out of this. We need to do it your way- head on, but I’m not going to just let you go. Get behind the counter, when he arrives, I’ll probably be able to sweet talk him down and get him calm enough he won't try to kill you if he spots you. You need to make sure you don’t move though, I can hide you under my item bags, but it might not be comfortable.”  
“What if he finds me?”

“Whatever happens, happens mon ami. I’ll be right here, trust me, please.”  
Zacharie strode over to Batter, putting his hands on his shoulders, trying to reassure him.  
“If anything happens, you’ll be safe. Now get under those bags while I hide your Add-on in the back.”  
Sliding his hands down off the taller other, he took the glowing ring into the back to hide its obvious glow.

The item bags were very full and took up a big chunk of the corner. If he could curl up in the middle of all them, he could look like a smaller bag, it wouldn’t look suspicious. Unless he moved. Which he might, because he is still sore. Being sore is a lot better than being dead, so climbing into the middle of the pile of item sacks it is then. The sacks were scratchy, but he was safe now. No light could get in, so there was no way for Dedan to spot him now. All there was left to do, was wait. Wait in deafening silence for that door to swing open, and to hear… Something, anything, anything other than his softened breaths among the sea of creeping white noise. Zacharie’s pacing slightly echoed in the room, muffled as Batter eagerly waited for this to happen. He started to wonder what this guardian could possibly look like. He seems dangerous, possibly more so than the spectres, or maybe Batter just isn’t that good with a bat as he thought. No, impossible, of course he was good with one, all it takes is a little elbow grease and a good swing, and the fluids come flying right out. A bat is a great tool, if it has a skull, it’s weak to a bat. If it has bones, it’s weak to a bat. Chances are, if you can touch it, you can kill it with a bat. Though, clearly, it’s not the most effective manner in which to purify things, or else he wouldn’t currently be hiding like this. It’s rather humiliating, honestly. What if he was to be found out? It would look rather cowardly, really. Perhaps this might not be the first time he has been a coward, but being alive is much better than being dead right now.

A door slammed open, the sound almost shaking the room. There was a tense silence where no one talked.

“Well hello, Mr. Dedan-”  
Zacharie started to speak, but was quickly cut off by a loud and booming voice.

“WHERE IS THE LITTLE WRETCH, HE WAS CLEARLY HERE.”  
The other sounded furious, angry.

“I’m afraid we have both missed him, he was gone when I woke up.”

“YOU HELPED THAT ASSHOLE, DIDN’T YOU? WHERE THE FUCK IS HE, WE CAN’T BE HAVING ANYONE PRETENDING TO BE A FUCKING INSPECTOR, LOOK AT THE FUCKING MESS THAT HAPPENED! HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO GET THOSE FUCKERS BACK TO WORK IF WE HAVE PEOPLE DYING DOWN HERE!”

“Well it wasn’t his fault, the mines were particularly active that night it seems, it has been like that for a while, I hadn’t had anyone show up here in days, I was starting to get worried something bad had happened.”  
There was a loud thump on the counter, the other shouting much louder. Batter felt himself slowly sinking into his spot more, hoping for his life that Zach is successful.

“I DON’T HAVE ALL THE TIME IN THE DAMN WORLD TO BE KICKING THESE THINGS ASSES ALL THE TIME!! LOOK HOW DAMN DANGEROUS THE SHITS ARE! THEY ALMOST FUCKING SLAUGHTERED THE FUCKING MORON THAT CAME DOWN HERE. AND 50 FUCKING CREDITS SAY THAT YOU HELPED THE ASSHOLE, DON’T FUCKING LIE TO ME ZACHARIE. I CAN KICK YOU THE FUCK OUT SO FUCKING FAST, YOU WONT HAVE ANY FUCKING MERCHANDICE TO SELL ANYMORE.”  
The room only got more tense as Zach fired back, the air heavy.

“Why are you so angry at someone doing your job for you? If you had cleaned the mines properly, maybe he wouldn’t have gotten hurt so bad. Personally, I don’t think he’s a threat at all. Why don’t you just leave him alone, maybe he can be your little errand boy and get rid of all those spectres so you can focus on your oh so important work-”  
Zacharie’s voice stopped with a choke, the sound of a large being lumbering himself over the counter drowning out as Dedan screamed his lungs off at Zacharie.

“LISTEN HERE YOU UTTER TRASH. I WILL FIND THAT FUCKING ASSHOLE WITH OR WITHOUT YOU. AND EITHER WAY, I’M BASHING THAT TWERPS SKULL IN BEFORE HE DOES ANY MORE DAMAGE. SO MAYBE YOU MIGHT WANT TO FUCKING WORK WITH ME OR WORK AGAINST ME.”  
A loud, ear splitting screech sounded before there was a hard thump on the floor. 

“I’ll have to work against you then, Dedan. It’s nothing personal, I just can’t let you lay a finger on him. You know how things are, don’t you?”  
Another small pause before Batter heard anything, another screech, one less painful on the ears, but painful from familiarity. Putting himself at risk is something he does all the time, and something he is willing to do once more.

Peaking out of the pile of bags he was hidden in, he could get a good glimpse of what was going on, and whatever it was, it clearly wasn’t good. Batter couldn’t let Zacharie just die; he’d only just finished saving him, and it wouldn’t be fair to not return the favour. As he carefully shifted his position to be ready to leap out at Dedan at any second, he saw the giant man get unstable and start to stumble. Dedan was a big looking guardian, looking to be much bigger than Batter in many ways. He was tall, seemed to be pretty jacked- and cocky from how he looks to be dressed. Giant, open coat with absolutely no shirt. If Batter really had to nit-pick, Dedan's boots also make him look like a dick. Even Batter’s cleats didn’t go up that high, this guy is just trying to show off. Though now wasn’t the time to be thinking about the way he is dressed, Batter quickly jumped out of the pile, taking his chance to leap at Dedan with all his weight to knock him down. The noise of the pile moving alerted the guardian, giving him only enough time to put up an arm to block, though it wasn’t too much help. The two fell down, Dedan on his back as Batter bit down on the other's forearm, really digging his teeth into the flesh. The blood was warm, almost too warm for him, it felt disgusting to bite down into something with a pumping heart, but it was the first idea he had, and next thing he knew he was on his back, arm being pushed farther into his mouth as the giant other crouched over him with a glare. Dedan’s face was odd, horrible. Those teeth, they looked like they might do even more damage than his own. Zacharie screamed at Batter from behind the two men, weary about getting involved right away. Batter wasn’t even listening, as he was caught in a scuffle. The guardian slammed a massive hand over Batter, his palm taking up a good portion of Batters torso. He pressed down, trying to keep Batt on the floor as he kept pressing down with his other arm in the other's mouth. Batter swung a leg over the arm shoving down on his body, planting the spikes of his cleat’s into Dedan, using the other leg to kick him in the face. The two squirmed and wrestled with each other, Dedan able to keep Batter on his back, but unable to take back his arm from the other's sharp teeth. He had a good grip on him and was fighting to keep hold, even if the blood that seeped out of the jacket's arm ran down the sides of his face. Zach finally decided it was time to try to step in, walking into both of their views, hoping there was still some room for reason while they were locked like that.

“Dedan! Stop it!”

“THE FUCKER LEPT AT ME!!!!! I’M GOING TO FUCKING KILL HIM.”

“He’s who you are looking for! Look- Yes I lied that he wasn’t here, but how couldn’t I when you want to KILL HIM! Monsieur Dedan, he is more helpful alive than dead! He probably thought I was in danger! Don’t go killing him for protecting someone!!!”  
Zach watched in suspense as Batter kicked Dedan in the face again, struggling under him as he was being pressed to the floor more.  
“Yes- I helped him- but what is a man supposed to do when he sees someone walk into his shop half dead? Would you really expect me to sit there and watch him die?!? Would YOU do that? Would you have left him there if you saw him like I had?”  
As the guardian looked at the french merchant, the pinned man under him slammed him in the face with his foot again, chomping down on his arm a little harder as the fist holding him down closed on him and squeezed in response.   
“Would you have? Left someone who ran into your office as shelter to die bleeding on the floor? Just because you don’t really know them? He was mangled when he came in here, because you didn’t even try to purify the mines lately! If you’re going to hurt him, at least realize you’re the one who almost got him killed in the first place! I don’t like speaking up on these things, but had you been clearing out the spectres, you wouldn’t need his help.”  
The struggle slowly stopped as the guardian grabbed the leg that was shoving his face to the side, staring at the purifier. He was much smaller than the big guardian, one of his hands could pick Batter up no problem with no chance of the other wriggling away. Then again, he just had really strong hands. There was no way that this small twerp was any harm as he was right now. With no bat, he had no way of fighting. A rather dumb move on the purifiers part, but it’s not like he was really thinking before he made his attack. The longer he held onto this awkward position, he could feel Batter’s jaws slowly start to release their hold on his arm, hands trying to help pull his leg back as he started to squirm uncomfortably.

“I’M SURPRISED THIS FUCKER MADE IT THIS FUCKING FAR.”

“He was lucky he found me here, he would have died otherwise.”

“HE LOOKS PRETTY FUCKING INTACT TO ME, ZACH. ARE YOU FUCKING SURE?”

“As sure as the stitches I had to put in him. If you didn’t just punch first, ask questions later, maybe you might recognize a few of his traits, but you were clearly too angry to think straight. Are you sure you’re thinking straight now?”  
Zach looked down at how the two boys were locked in place with each other, still in a very awkward position to be holding, as it was getting rather tiring pretty quickly. Dedan looked back down at Batter, feeling his teeth loosen their grip even more, giving him a little wiggle room. He used the opportunity to take his arm out of the others mouth, thick red blood staining the leather and the sides of the monochrome man's mouth. He gurgled before coughing and spitting it in his face, instantly getting punched in the face, the side of his head getting slammed into the floor. The two looked at each other in a tense moment, Batter breathing heavily from trying to struggle so hard, but getting absolutely nowhere.

“WHY ARE YOU MAKING ME SPARE THIS LITTLE SHITHEAD? WHAT COULD I POSSIBLY USE HIM FOR?”

“First off, his name is Batter. Second, he’s not for sale. I’ve already promised him something, so he is with me. He’s good at hitting ghosts, when he’s actually prepared for it. I suggest you let him go, I don’t think he’s going to be too fond of you for a while.”

“YOU WERE THE ONE WHO SUGGESTED HIM AS AN ERRAND BOY.”

“I was trying to convince you to spare my friend.”  
Zach watched the two, keeping his eyes on Batter a lot. Dedan had one knee on the ground, arm holding up Batt’s leg still, using his other leg to balance himself and rest his other arm on. There was a tension between them, the two staring at each other. Batter had his arms on the ground, ready to try to yank his leg back again.  
“I plan on taking him with me to the next zone.”

“YOU’RE A FUCKING MORON TO TAKE HIM THERE. WE BOTH KNOW WHAT JAPHET IS LIKE THESE DAYS, HE WOULD GUT THIS LITTLE TURD LIKE A FUCKING FISH. HE DOESN’T STAND A CHANCE LIKE THIS.”  
Dedan yanked Batter closer, holding onto his leg further down as he inspected the purifier.  
“HE HAS FUCKING WORK TO DO IF HE WANT’S TO EVEN LEAVE THIS PLACE. IF HE CAN’T HANDLE THE MINES, HE CAN’T HANDLE THE REST OF THE FUCKING ZONES. IT’S PROBABLY BEST IF HE STAYS HERE UNTIL HE CAN FIGHT ON HIS FUCKING OWN.”

“Looks like you changed your mind pretty quick, but as I said, I already promised him something.”

“OH, YOU PROMISED HIM SOMETHING? WHAT DID YOU PROMISE HIM, ZACH? DID YOU THINK YOU COULD JUST PROTECT HIM? ASSHOLE WANDERS IN HERE WITH NOTHING BUT A MAGIC FUCKING RING AND A BAT, TACKLES A BUNCH OF GHOSTS HEAD ON, ALMOST DIES, AND THE NEXT FUCKING DAY, TACKLES SOMEONE A LOT FUCKING BIGGER THAN HIM. DO YOU REALLY THINK YOU CAN STOP HIM FROM BEING A MORON? YOU CAN’T PROTECT HIM FOREVER, ZACHARIE. YOU JUST FUCKING MET THE TWAT. A SILENT FUCKING ASSHOLE- HE HASN’T SAID A WORD THIS ENTIRE TIME.”  
He put a hand down next to Batter, his thumb resting on him as he stared into shade under Batter’s cap, hoping to maybe get a peek under it. He wanted to hear Batter speak? So he spoke, loud and clear.

“Fuck you.”  
A nice, simple message for a simple man like him. A simple man in a lot of pain.

“OH WOW. THIS ONE IS REAL NICE, ISN’T HE? I CAN TASTE THE FUCKING SASS UNDER HIS MONOTONE FUCKING MASK.”

“Get off me. You shout too much, you’re too loud. You’re very aggressive. You look like you would beat my skull in with your own bare fists just to say you did it. You are huge, your hands are huge. One hand fits around me with no issue, you need to be careful with how you act, you’re bound to frighten everyone with how loud and commanding you are. No wonder Zacharie warned me about you, you had me pinned even though you knew I was harmless. Do you do this to your elsens? No wonder the one I talked to was so nervous of me, even I’m frightening to someone who gets shouted at all day. Have you thought of anger issue classes? I think you might need some, you seem like you are very angry a lot.”  
A small smirk twitched on his face for a second, knowing he had probably just proved his point.

“OKAY, I LIKED IT BETTER WHEN YOU WERE QUIET. SHUT THE FUCK UP.”  
Dedan let go of Batters leg, grabbing his whole face in one hand, dragging him closer again before putting a hand on his shoulder, taking the hand off his face and wiping the blood stained sides, using a finger to wipe under the chin.  
“YOU MAKE SUCH A FUCKING MESS EVERYWHERE YOU GO, YOU’RE LIKE A GIANT CHILD THAT WAY. LOOK AT THIS FUCKING MESS ON YOUR FACE, YOU ABSOLUTE BUFFOON. BLOOD GOT FUCKING EVERYWHERE, YOU PROUD OF YOURSELF? MY SLEEVE IS FUCKING STAINED, BUT ITS ALL ON YOUR GOD DAMN FACE.”  
He pulled Batters head down, looking at the back of his neck for any more blood, noticing some streaks that got into Batt’s hair.  
“OH, AND LOOK AT THIS, ITS EVEN IN YOUR FUCKING HAIR. DO YOU KNOW HOW HARD THAT SHIT IS TO GET OUT? YOU’RE GOING TO BE WASHING THAT FOR A WHILE, DIPSHIT.”  
He wiped the streaks of red on his neck with his thumb, letting go of the purifiers head.

Batter stared up at Dedan, trying to keep his composure. In reality, he just didn’t know what to do, he was so close to the guardian now, closer than he had anticipated. Sure, he had just tackled him, but he was just on the ground with half Dedans arm in his mouth, and that wasn’t as close as he is now, not to mention the guy that was holding him to the ground just wiped away his own blood off the man's face who BIT him in the first place. He wasn’t sure if he was supposed to move away or not. Did Dedan want him to leave? Was he wanting him to just sit there? What is he supposed to be doing anyways? So is Zach not really in trouble? Has he been spared for now? He really wasn’t thinking when he just jumped out at him, he doesn’t think before battle. Even as he felt the massive hand on his shoulder slide off him, he still felt like he couldn’t quite move yet. Was moving a good idea? Is he still mad? It’s not like Dedan can be very expressive outside of shouting. Though, at least he can show more emotion than Zach, who is always covered with a mask.

“YOU KNOW WHAT I’M WONDERING, AND I’M SURE ZACHARIE IS WONDERING AS WELL…”  
His voice was still loud, even if he was talking normally. Still the same, booming voice that makes you listen, because it’s the loudest thing in the room.  
“IS HOW THE FUCK…”  
Dedan grabbed the brim of Batter’s hat, starting to slowly lift it up to see his eyes.  
“YOU COULD FUCKING SEE WELL ENOUGH DOWN THERE TO CLEARLY KNOW WHERE YOU WERE GOING.”  
Batter grabbed Dedan’s wrist with both hands, stopping him before he could move it above his eyes. He pulled the hand away, forcing it open and hesitantly putting his face in it.

“You’re not allowed to see my eyes, but if you are dying to know this badly, I’ll let you feel for your answer. I do not trust you, I will make that clear. When I trust you, I’ll let you actually see them.”  
Pressing his face against the guardians palm, he put his hands back on his wrist, patiently waiting. He was placing the least trust in Dedan as he could, but trusting him he wouldn’t just crush his head under his massive hands. That would most definitely happen with how strong he is.

“OH WOW, LOOKS LIKE I HAVE SOME FUCKING WORK TO DO TO GET THAT TO FUCKING HAPPEN. IT’S NOT FUCKING LIKE FEELING AROUND WILL ACTUALLY GIVE ME A FUCKING CLUE-”  
He stopped almost mid-sentence as his hand paused in place when it was carefully feeling under the shade. The two just stared at each other. 

Eventually, Zacharie broke the silence, coughing before he spoke.  
“Well, I see that you two boys have finally decided to get along. Perhaps we should try to wrap this up, hm? I’m sure mon ami Batter would love to get up off the floor, I bet he’s hurting more after that.”

“I’M NOT LETTING YOU LEAVE THE FUCKING ZONE WITH THIS IDIOT, I HOPE YOU KNOW THAT, ZACH. I HAVEN’T SEEN JAPHET IN A WHILE, BUT IT’S FOR A GOOD FUCKING REASON. HE’S GONE OFF HIS FUCKING SHIT LATELY. THAT BIG FUCKING OAF ENOCH, TOO. ALL OF THEM ARE FUCKING INSANE, SO I DONT FUCKING BOTHER WITH THEM ANYMORE, I HAVE MY OWN ZONE I NEED TO TAKE CARE OF. YOU KNOW DAMN FUCKING WELL YOU WONT BE ABLE TO CONVINCE JAPHET LIKE YOU DID ME, YOU GOT FUCKING LUCKY. YOU CAN’T KEEP TESTING THIS MAN’S LUCK, ZACHARIE. ONE DAY YOU’LL TURN YOUR FUCKING BACK ON HIM AND YOU WONT BE THERE TO SAVE THIS FUCKER.”  
Dedan removed his hand and stood up, looking at the tiny merchant. Batter got up after, sizing him up. Batter only came up to under Dedan’s chest, he was HUGE compared to him already. How tall could the others be? If he tried hard enough, he could purify Dedan, but… That doesn’t seem right here. He didn’t die, so maybe he will have to return the favour of sparing him. Once. Only once, a pay back and then that’s it. He only has to owe him that one thing.

“Well, it’s not like you could do much better, monsieur. I know I can’t protect him at all times, but frankly I don’t think I need to. I know he can handle his own, he just needs a chance.”

“YES, OF COURSE HE DOES, AND TAKING HIM OUT OF HERE IS GOING TO BE FUCKING DANGEROUS IF YOU’RE KEEPING HIM FROM TRYING TO FUCKING KILL THEM. I’M TELLING YOU ZACH, DON’T FUCKING LET THEM NEAR HIM, THEY WONT FUCKING HAVE MERCY LIKE ME. AND GOD FUCKING FORBID ENOCH GETS AHOLD OF THIS LITTLE SHIT. THINK I’M BIG? HE WILL FUCKING CRUSH BATTER UNDER HIS FUCKING FINGER LIKE A GOD DAMN BUG. I’M TELLING YOU NOW, IT’S THE WORST POSSIBLE IDEA AT THIS FUCKING POINT. YOU BARELY STAND A FUCKING CHANCE IF I WAS TO FUCKING TALK TO THEM. I HAVEN’T SEEN THEM IN SO LONG.. I’M SURE THEY WON’T LISTEN TO A FUCKING WORD I SAY. JAPHET IS FUCKING STUBORN, AND ENOCH IS A FUCKING LARDASS. I’M NOT PICKING A FIGHT WITH HIM.”  
He looked down at Batter, glaring at him softly.  
“YOU DONT STAND A FUCKING CHANCE AT THEM RIGHT NOW, TWERP. YOU COULD BARELY DEFEND YOURSELF AGAINST ME BECAUSE YOU’RE A FUCKING IDIOT.”

“Then why did you change your mind about me? You insult me, but clean your blood from my face. You tell me It’s a bad idea to see the other zones, and call me stupid. You’re aggressive and could kill me easily, but you were clearly being gentle with me. I don’t understand you. What makes you think the other guardian’s will be any different? With practice I could clear these mines all by myself, you underestimate what I am capable of. I may be smaller than you, but if you gave me long enough I could take you down, and you know that. So why don’t we stop dancing around and get to the point? I am The Batter, and my mission is to purify the world. I’m not just going to stay here, you cannot stop me from leaving. My purpose is to get rid of the spectres.”  
Batter stepped away from Dedan, walking over beside Zacharie.  
“I have to do this, it is what I was made to do. Neither of you can stop me, but Zach knows he can’t, I know he is at least willing to help me on my mission. He’s kept his promise to me so far, even if I did put myself in danger by trying to tackle you.”  
Although his words were true, Dedan was also right, Zacharie thought to himself. Batter stands no chance at Zone 2 at the moment, even if Zach could hide him. The spectres would be too strong for him at the moment, and although it is an easy way to get stronger faster, it’s so much more dangerous and with what happened before, Batter isn’t ready. He put a hand on his dear friend's shoulder, pulling him to face him.

“Mon ami, I have to agree with monsieur Dedan, although I do agree with you as well… It is much too dangerous for you there right now. It probably isn’t just here that has increased activity. If I were to go to Zone 2 now to go sell my things there as usual, I wouldn’t be able to bring you, you would have to stay by me at all times. The spectres there are stronger, you can’t go just yet. Maybe some other time, but not yet.I for sure will not leave you here alone yet, but I do have to go there sometime.”  
Batter frowned, brushing Zacharie’s hand off his shoulder. His mouth was turned down in a held-back sneer, clearly unhappy with this.

“If I’m not ready by the time you have to leave, what am I supposed to do? I don’t know how to get to the other zone.”

“Dedan can help you when I’m gone, you don’t have to worry about him anymore, he knows not to be hurting you. Right, monsieur?”  
Zach gave the guardian a cold glare, side eyeing him.

“YEAH, YEAH. HE’S ALWAYS SAFE WITH ME FROM NOW ON. I WONT HURT A FUCKING HAIR ON THAT ASSHOLES HEAD, GIVE ME A FUCKIN BREAK. I GET THAT YOU’RE PROTECTIVE, BUT I WAS ONLY LOOKING FOR THE BEST INTEREST OF MY FUCKING PEOPLE, THE ELSENS AS WE KNOW ARE VERY FUCKING PRONE TO STRESS ISSUES, AND A DEAD FUCKING BODY IN THE MINES IS A BAD THING, THEY WOULDN’T WORK IF THERE WAS A SO CALLED “INSPECTOR” DEAD DOWN HERE. THEY WOULD BE FREAKING THE FUCK OUT. AND THERE ISN’T SUPPOSE TO BE ANY FUCKING INSPECTORS FOR THESE FUCKING MINES, THERE HASN’T BEEN IN A LONG ASS TIME, SO I KNEW THERE WAS FUCKING TROUBLE. WHO CAN BLAME ME? WELL- YES, OKAY, I AM A VERY ANGRY PERSON, BUT YOU TRY RUNNING A FUCKING ZONE RESPONCIBLE FOR ALL THE RAW FUCKING MATERIALS THAT WE USE! WE MAKE ALL THE FUCKING AIR, WE GROW THE MEAT AND THE METAL- FUCK, WE EVEN HAVE FUCKING WOOLY COWS SO WE COULD HAVE FUCKING WARM ASS CLOTHES IF WE FUCKING NEEDED, OR YOU KNOW, JUST FUCKING CLOTHES IN GENERAL! WE MAKE A LOT OF THE FUCKING IMPORTANT SHIT HERE AS YOU CAN SEE!!!! AND I NEED TO MAKE SURE IT’S ALL GETTING SENT OUT TO THE RIGHT FUCKING PLACES AND OVERSEE ALL THE FUCKING- EVERYTHING!!! IT’S A LOT, SO DON’T FUCKING GET ANGRY OVER ME BEING IN OVER MY FUCKING HEAD IN FUCKING WORK! AND NOW WITH ALL THESE FUCKERS KILLING MY DAMN WORKERS, IT’S FUCKING EVERYTHING UP!!”  
The three just started at each other in silence for a bit.

“...Did you get that all off your chest now?”  
Batter asked, trying to not sound too rude, but with the way he talks, he’s not very expressive. Dedan simply crossed his arms and huffed, nodding.

“I GOT OFF TRACK THERE, I APOLOGIZE FOR THAT. AS YOU CAN TELL, I HAVE A LOT ON MY FUCKING PLATE RIGHT NOW.”  
Another moment of striking silence, nothingness grabbing at the void sound in the room, filling it with louder nothing. The two smaller men both went to talk at the same time, both stopping to let the other talk at the same time, before Batt decided he might as well speak first.

“I remember hearing you needing an ‘errand boy,’”  
Batter inhaled awkwardly, exhaling quietly.  
“It would help give me experience, and get things off your plate. Perhaps I am of some use to you, maybe if we work together, we might be able to purify this place without either one of us dying.”  
He pulled his hat down, crossing his arms.  
“I am not fond of the idea, but I am willing to work with you, if that’s what this takes. I rather not have to purify people that do not need it.”  
He looked at Zach, who shrugged at him, thinking the idea wasn’t half bad. Dedan's interest seemed very piqued, he looked to be down for it.

“THAT’S NOT A BAD IDEA. FINE, I’LL PUT YOU TO WORK, MAYBE IT WILL FUCKING GET RID OF THOSE SHITS. CAN’T KNOCK IT UNTIL YOU TRY IT, I GUESS. IF YOU COULD TAKE CARE OF THOSE FUCKING THINGS ENOUGH TO LET WORK GET BACK TO FULL SPEED AHEAD AT LEAST, WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT KEEPING THE FUCKERS AWAY.”  
Dedan laughed, a strange, airy and scratchy laugh. Like a screeching animal- but not at all animal like at the same time.  
“ERRAND BOY. I THINK I’LL GET USED TO THIS REAL EASILY!”  
He chortled to himself more, obviously getting some sort of kick from this. Batter growled under his breath, almost regretting his decision. Zacharie gently rubbed Batt’s back for a second, giving him understanding eyes from behind his mask. Batter just sighed and looked away, rolling his shoulders.  
“Don’t get too comfortable with me, wrench. I still don’t trust you. I will play along as long as I need, but do not overstep boundaries.”  
With crossed arms, he let out a pained grunt.  
“I am here to purify, that is it. I will do what you need, but when we are done, I’m going to zone two.”

“FINE, WHATEVER, WHEN YOU ARE DONE WE CAN FUCKING GO THERE, BECAUSE YOU CANT CONVINCE JAPHET WITHOUT ME, WE KNOW EACH OTHER BETTER THAN YOU TWO KNOW EACH OTHER. WHICH, TO BE FRANK, YOU DON’T KNOW JAPHET AT ALL. I’M SURE IF WE GET JAPHET BACK TO HIS OLD, LESS CRAZY SELF, HE COULD HELP YOU WITH ENOCH, ENOCH IS TOO LARGE, EVEN FOR ME. I WOULDN’T STAND MUCH OF A CHANCE AGAINST HIM EITHER, AND WE DON’T REALLY GET ALONG ANYMORE, HE WAS TOO POWER HUNGRY FOR ME. I WASN’T ABOUT TO BE FRIENDS WITH SOME DIPSHIT EXPLOITING HIS WORKERS.”  
The shouty man walked over to the exit door, grunting.  
“NOW, I NEED YOUR HELP WITH THESE FUCKING ELSENS, I NEED TO SHOW THEM YOU AREN’T DEAD, THEY ARE PROBABLY JUST WHEEZING TO FIND OUT WHERE THE FUCK I AM, AND WHAT’S TAKING SO LONG. GET YOUR SHIT AND LETS FUCKING GO.”  
He stood by the door, arms crossed and waiting. Zach simply dipped into the back of his shop to get his backpack and restock some item’s before they left. He also let Alpha out of its hiding spot, watching it zip out of the room instantly, and return to The Batter’s side. Batter only had his new bat to get and take with him, he usually let his puppeteer hold onto items, It was one of the few things they could do together, she could give him one of the items he got, or store them for him so he isn’t really carrying much on him and is better in battle. Clearly, it did not really help much. Then again, she was in over her head as well, she did her best by getting him here, so he still trusts her. No reason not to trust a strange cat that keeps you from dying, really. Of course, that’s only a joke, but he really didn’t see much reason for panic or suspicion. 

As Zach came back, Dedan opened the door and left.  
“ALRIGHT, LETS FUCKING GO THEN.”  
Zacharie and Batter looked at each other, Zach giving Batter a comforting pat before jogging to get over to Dedan and catch up. The purifier may find this an ideal situation, but he has no control here, so he will play along more, closing the door behind him as he followed the others.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I honestly don’t know how to use this site, I just have a passion for writing and I hear this is the best place to do it


	3. It’s a temporary set back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Dedan calms the elsens nerves about the rumour of someone dying in the mines, he tells them about the new “inspector” that will be helping cleanse the zone. Zacharie has to go off to the other zones to complete his rounds and has to leave Batter in the first zones guardians care until he can get back.

The mines were very big, A lot of it was unfinished. Walls were uneven, marks of picks swinging away left behind as the workers fled long ago. Active parts of the mines had tracks laid in the middle of the shafts, rusty metal carts holding material they had chipped away at. Some parts had tracks starting to be made, others had old abandoned tracks, dark hallways leading down, down far into a dark abyss. This was their oldest mine, cave-ins had happened on lower levels that closed massive areas off, new areas and pockets of smoke opened up from those, and over all the mine wasn’t as stable as it used to be. Though, the mine was connected to many parts of the Zone, even to other mines at some places, so those areas had to be reinforced. Lately, most of the Elsens have been working hard on other tunnels, but some of those have also been getting the few cave-ins. Places where the torches on the walls were usually freezing cold, spectres all over their darkened halls. Though purifying them wasn’t on the agenda yet, though it would be nice to, even if Batter was aching in just about every bone in his body. Some mine shafts were so unsafe that they had to be walled off, having to hold back what could only be, more unspeakable horrors ready to grab onto you and tear at your flesh. The ones that got in already were horrid enough, Batter wasn’t ready to know what could be behind those metal plates.

The small pool of water that gathered on the floors, the pungent smell of smoke, tar, and copper, the ghostly howls in the far distance of spectres on the hunt, nothing had changed. His body still ached, almost as if he was still back in that moment before, not knowing where help was or that he was in bigger trouble than he first thought. The sharp pain of how those spectres hurt once they laid one of their disgusting, impure hands on him. They were cold and sharp, even if it was just a ghost, the pain was still very sharp, sometimes burning like a dull blade on skin. That day wasn’t his most lucky day, but neither is today, is it? Last night was very unlucky though, ironic that it was his first day. If he could turn back, that would probably be a sign to stop what he was doing, but he’s slowly getting tightly roped into this. He had already made constricting bonds to these two strangers, in the form of promises; the promise to stay by Zacharies' side, and to help purify Dedan’s Zone until he is ready to go to the next zone. Though, staying a little will help him find out how to get to the bottom of this. Though there was still so much to process, and half of his thoughts were already taken up by how sore he was, he couldn’t get it out of his head. It was somewhat okay before, but being slammed to the ground hurt, there wasn’t any way he wasn’t going to have a giant bruise on his back from that. Just the sheer blunt force that his back had to absorb so nothing got broken would have for sure been strenuous. Not like he doesn’t already feel strained, it hurt to staging upright too much, he had to keep an arm over the gut wound in order to help dull the pain for some reason, and he can barely even see where he is going between getting lost in his thoughts and being a little slower than the other to, walking a little bit behind them. Not that he was meaning to be behind them, Batter had just been so engorged in his own thoughts, that he was slowing down while walking. He hadn’t even noticed he was falling behind, as his eyes had ended up looking at how strange the reflection of the fire looked on the small film of water over the floor, gently splashing around as they all easily traversed through it. 

Batter’s entire body jolted as a hand softly touched his arm, stopping him in his tracks and forcing his back to straighten as a response, accidentally hurting his back and the deep wound he was holding, showing he was in obvious pain as he tried not to double over by putting pressure on the newly patched gash and half-crouching. Zach, who had slowed down to make sure Batter was doing fine, recoiled his hand and softly apologized to his friend.

“Ah- Sorry mon ami, I didn’t mean to scare you that badly, are you alright?”  
He looked down at the other man, a little worried. Batter looked up at him, talking with a sharp inhale in his voice as he slowly stood up straight again.

“Yes, I am just fine, lets keep going.”  
He took an arm away, leaving the other on him to comfort the pain as he walked past the merchant, going to catch up with Dedan, who had stopped for a moment so they could get caught up. Zacharie obviously didn’t believe Batter, but wasn’t just about to push the man to admit something that trivial. Not yet, anyways. Zach noticed Dedan squinting at Batter, probably not believing him either, maybe even about to say something about it, but Batter’s pained sneer plastered on his face was enough to tell him to leave it. 

The walk to the opening Dedan went into felt longer than it actually was, but mines tend to have an aura that most places do not. Light poured in from the outside, a ladder leading the way out. Just like last time, the sunlight burned at Batter’s eyes, causing discomfort to look at it for too long. Lucky for him, he didn’t have to see outside, that is what his puppeteer can do for him. Of course, when he sees it through her, it's a lot duller than if he were to look, but now his eyes don't burn from the light. One by one, they all went up the ladder. First Dedan, then Zach, and then it was Batter’s turn. Going up was a painful task, using his muscles too much already making him grunt in pain. Seemingly, he was too slow, as the frustrated guardian picked him up, promptly putting him back down on the ground as Batter clearly panicked the instant he was lifted up, trying to play it cool after he was dropped again. A big group of Elsens surrounded the three, looking at them all anxiously. They whispered to themselves, voices a mere murmur. Dedaan, on the other hand, was loud and booming with his voice as always, not even shouting at the top of his lungs yet.

“NO ONE IS DEAD. THE INSPECTOR IS FINE, THANKS TO ZACHARIE HERE. THE INSPECTOR WILL BE STAYING HERE A WHILE AND HELPING ME CLEAR ALL THE SPECTRES SO EVERYONE CAN GO BACK TO WORK. NOW FUCK OFF YOU LITTLE SHITS, THERE’S NOTHING ELSE TO FUCKING SEE HERE. GO ON, SCRAM!”  
The group scattered like little worker ants to a flood, leaving the three alone in the middle of another part of Zone 1. It smelled awful, but that was due to all the barns, and the building not too far away where they kill and butcher the cows. 

Zacharie put a hand on Batter again as he looked up at Dedan, getting his attention before speaking.  
“I think mon ami Batter needs a break today, yesterday would have pushed him very hard for his first day.”  
He patted Batters shoulder softly, looking at him before back at the guardian.   
“Maybe there is somewhere he can rest for the day?”

Dedan’s noises were always painful, scratchy, high pitched screeches, even when they were quieter, pondering noises.  
“UNLESS YOU WANT TO WATCH THE LITTLE SHIT ALL DAY, THE ONLY OTHER THING I CAN DO IS WATCH THE FUCKER WHILE IM DOING MY FUCKING PAPERWORK IN MY OFFICE HERE.”  
There was a moment of silence as Zacharie pondered, tapping the bottom of his mask rhythmically. 

“Well, I would love to have him with me, but I do have to get all my items out of the mine, and ready to go to the next Zone. I have to travel there soon, the mine hold up had me stuck down there for a while longer than I would have liked to have been. I could be ready by tomorrow to go, but that means leaving mon ami Batter behind. My trips around the zones usually don’t take too long, usually a week or two for each zone, but I could shorten it to one week each so I could get back here as soon as possible. I wouldn’t be around for him though..”

“I GET WHAT YOU’RE FUCKING GETTING AT, YOU DONT NEED TO BEAT AROUND THE FUCKING BUSH!”  
Dedan screeched, squinting at the two of them.  
“YOU WANT ME TO WATCH HIM WHILE YOU’RE FUCKING GONE, DON’T YOU?”

“Yes! Now that you both wont be trying to murder each other, it shouldn’t be too much to ask, right? I’m not asking you to become friends, just for you to watch him. Him being here benefits you after all, it's an extra pair of hands! I’m sure you two will rub off on each other while I’m gone, I just really need to keep up my schedule before I fall too far behind. Can you do that for me?”  
Zach put his hands together, probably a big smile under that mask, and a face that might say ‘please?’ With a huge sigh, Dedan agreed.

“FINE, I’LL WATCH THE BRAT, BUT DON’T TAKE TOO FUCKING LONG. IF YOU DO, I’M GOING TO LET THE LITTLE FUCKER GO AFTER YOU, BECAUSE WE BOTH KNOW HE WILL. I DON’T THINK IT WILL TAKE HIM THAT LONG TO GET STRONG ENOUGH TO LEAVE.”

“Well of course not, but he does have to fully recover first, because he is in no shape to be fighting right now.”  
He motioned his head to Batter, who was sitting on the ground, hat pulled down to shade his face from the sun more. Dedan just rolled his eyes at this, throwing a hand up as he marched off.  
“WELL, I’LL BE IN MY FUCKING OFFICE WHEN YOU GO TO DROP HIM OFF. I’LL LET THE MORON SAY HIS GOODBYES BEFORE HE STAYS WITH ME.”  
And with that, he was gone, leaving the two men alone in the heat of mid-day sneaking in. Zach looked down at Batter, offering a hand to help him up.

“Look at that, he’s letting you stay. I rangled a good deal, didn’t I? This is much better than if I had to hide you until I could sneak you out. Now you have someone to help when I’m not around.”  
He pulled Batter up as he took his hand, grunting in pain.

“Whatever. It is only temporary, eventually I can leave. I will do my work here and then go when it is time. Do you need help getting ready? I can help you move your stuff, it would go faster if I helped as well.”  
Trying to stand up straight, Batt hissed under his breath, slouching a bit. Zach shook his head, instantly refusing his help.

“Oh no- I am not letting you help. If you weren’t in such bad shape, maybe I would, but you are in too much pain to be helping me like that. I usually just find an empty cart and use one of those to get it all out, so don't worry about me too much, I’ll be fine. You need to worry about yourself.”  
Zach took one of Batter’s hands, starting to walk him over to the office building Dedan would be in.  
“I will come back, don’t you worry about that, but for now I have to go sell all my items before I can’t anymore. After all the guardians stopped talking one on one, I’ve been a big source of trade between them all. I’m sure you’ll do a lot of good work here while I’m gone. I’m not leaving forever, I AM coming back, It’s just temporary, okay?”  
Although Batter felt this was almost like babying him, he was too sore to really put up any fuss.

“Okay.”  
A small, simple response. Nothing too dramatic, just okay. Although it wasn’t too okay for him, maybe it won’t be so bad, right? … Right?

Zone 1 was a strange beauty. A nice balance between area’s, chunks of different jobs placed meticulously. Nothing was without its proper place, it was all clearly planned for the most efficiency, except for the mines. Those ran everywhere, trying to get the pockets of smoke out into the open. There was also housing for the elsens, big, tall apartment complexes with the bare necessities for a place to live. They weren’t permanent homes, they were only occupied by the people working there at the time. All the housing area’s had lights everywhere, trying to scare off the spectres so they wouldn’t come near. For the most part, it seemed to work just fine. People seemed to feel pretty safe in those, but how safe is another question for another time. Batter figured he wouldn’t be staying in those, as someone sent to kill the very things they are trying to keep out staying there? Not the best message, even if they didn’t mean it like that. It just isn’t something that’s a good idea. Plus, he’s hurt right now, so even if something did happen, he couldn’t do as good of a job as he could have before. Though, staying with the guardian of this zone seems... Unsavory to him, not like he has any other choice. He’s the only guardian that wont murder him on the spot at the moment.

The walk was sort of silent, before Zacharie started to speak.  
“I know this is going to seem a little scary, staying here with someone that tried to kill you, but you have to get to know him a little. He’s just very stressed, but that still doesn’t give him a right to treat you poorly. So- balancing is hard, but if you can, try to balance having boundaries, and understanding that he usually means well. If I’m honest, mon ami, I am hoping you two hit it off. He might calm down a little if he has to watch after you. Not that I’m saying he is babysitting you, don’t think I’m saying that at all, I’m just trying to say that you will have someone to help. Having him to help you while you are injured is a lot easier than having me do it. He’s tall and strong, he can also get rid of spectres, so when you can't anymore, he still can. If you need aid, he is able to help more in some ways than I am. If this was any other time, I would be able to aid you more, but I do have to try to keep the Zones running-”

“You don’t even know how much worse the spectres over there could have gotten, Zach. They could be so much worse than here.”  
Batter cut him off, not sounding too terribly happy.

“Well of course I don’t, but I can take care of myself, don’t worry. Right now, I need you to stay with Dedan and get better. Your body isn’t used to being put through that much stress yet, you’ll get better at it with time, but I need you to let yourself make a full recovery before attempting anything again, you could hurt yourself even more. Can you do that for me?”  
The small, french man looked up at the puppeteer, watching him let out a quiet sigh, slightly nodding in agreement.

“Okay, I will do that for you. I trust you more than I trust him, but I will trust that you trust him.”  
A round about way of saying what he meant, but Zach almost admired how even if he was stoic most of the time, little blips of emotion bled through when Batter wasn’t paying attention to that enough to care. Things may not be going as planned, but maybe there’s a way to save everything now, a way to keep it all without destroying it, but still have it pure. Maybe things will be alright, but it all depended on if Batter could melt the hard shell off of the guardian, who has had years of emotional buildup and stress weighing him down. It is a shame things fell this far out of hand, but there still could be a small chance that this can be saved now.

“Thank you, mon ami, I appreciate it. I am sure Monsieur Dedan will also appreciate what you will do for him. For now, you have to rest. Once you feel better, I’m sure he can find some easy work for you to get back into the swing of things.”  
Zach chuckled to himself, always finding his own puns funny. If he didn’t find him funny, no one else might and either way, at least he thinks he’s funny. Luckily, he said it with enough subtly that it went right over Batter’s head, or he just didn’t seem to care.

The office building was tall, it reached into the sky farther than all the other buildings in this zone. It was around a central hub for going to other places in the zones, trams leading to the different places. It stood by the water, wave guards at the edge so the water didn’t hit the building during storms. It looked rather nice, but the sun hitting off the glass panes was not so nice. The walk here had to be at least an hour, maybe more, but neither of them had too much to say, Batter having basically nothing to say at all.

“I’ll take you up to his office and we will all have a nice little goodbye before I go off to get ready. The mines would be much too dangerous for you to stay in, and the little place I have isn’t big enough for the two of us. I’m sure Dedan can hook you up though, you’ll have somewhere to stay. Heck, if you ask nicely enough, maybe he will let you stay with him so you aren’t alone if that’s what you need.”  
Zacharie wanted to make this sound good, better than what it might sound like already. Anything to help ease what was going on.   
“I’m sure it’ll be fine, trust me.”

Inside the office tower, was a big, noisy floor. The jumbled voices of Elsens as they all said numbers to themselves filled the first floor, the sounds of papers rustling all blending together into a loud mess. It was overwhelming, the noise, the lights, the electric buzz of the lights- as he was starting to get all mixed up in the sounds around him, the dig of an elevator rang as the doors slid open, a small, cozy elevator waiting for them to step inside. Zach went in first to show that it was perfectly okay, even if he didn’t really have to do that. Batter promptly followed after, standing beside his small friend as he pushed a strange sequence of numbers for the floor. This tower was very tall, and it honestly had way too many floors, but at least it was all in one building. 

The two patiently wait as they go up, nothing but the whirring sounds of machinery pulling them upwards to listen to, and the breathing in the room. The light in the small box was nice, much better than the sun, easier to see with, not too stressful on his eyes. It suddenly came to an uncomfortable halt, the doors opening with a hydraulic sigh. The room was a little dark, boxes littering it all over. Batter just followed Zach as he passed what looked to be important objects, climbing up some stairs, and walking over in front of a door, guarded by a nervous looking office worker. He looked at Zach, then at Batter, then back at Zach. He clearly didn’t know who Batter was, but seemed to know who Zacharie is, which was at least a plus.

“Hello, we are here to see Monsieur, is he in?”  
Zach spoke softly, seeming to sort of calm the Elsen down as he wheezed and adjusted his tie.

“Yes- Yes he is- he is uh- He is in. I uh- I don’t uhm. I don’t know who your friend is, so uh- I don’t- I uh- I don’t think I can exactly- Let- Uh… Let him.. Uhm.. Let him in..”  
The small man sounded nervous, but Zach just laughed and waved a hand.

“Oh no, don’t worry, he’s with me! Dedan is expecting us, I would hate to be late.”  
The confidence in Zach’s voice was enough to convince the little man to open the door for them, letting the two through.

Dedan’s office here was rather small, not much more than boxes of files, and a large desk with stacked papers and books. He was mulling over some paperwork, book in hand, pencil tapping angrily on the desk in another. He looked up to notice the two finally here, having taken a quick shortcut, figuring Zacharie took the longer route with Batter. He sat up straight, putting down what he had in his hands and crossing his arms lightly.  
“LOOK WHO SHOWED UP. GUESS YOU TWO LOOK THE LONGER WAY HERE? I DON’T JUDGE YOU, THIS PLACE IS A FUCKING PRISON. I DON’T REALLY HAVE ANYWHERE HE CAN SIT, BUT THERE’S THE FLOOR BESIDE MY DESK, HE CAN LEAN AGAINST IT IF THE LITTLE SHIT NEEDS TO.”

“Ah, yes, that’s good enough for now. You have somewhere for him to stay?”  
Zach walked up and stood in front of the desk, Batter taking his seat beside it, leaning his body against it and taking this chance to rest his eyes for a bit.

“GOD, I HAVEN’T EVEN FUCKING THOUGHT OF THAT YET. I CAN LET THE ASSHOLE STAY WITH ME, I HAVE A BIG ENOUGH FUCKING BED THAT AS LONG AS HE DOESN’T THROW A FUCKING FIT IN HIS SLEEP, THERE’S ENOUGH ROOM FOR BOTH OF US. THAT WAY I CAN TELL HES STILL THERE IN THE FUCKING MORNING. I DON’T KNOW WHY HE WOULD FUCKING RUN OFF, BUT WHO KNOWS. NOT LIKE THERE’S ANYWHERE TO EVEN FUCKING GO. IT’S ALSO A LITTLE FUCKING SAFE WHILE HE CANT FIGHT I GUESS.”  
The grumpy guardian leaned over and glanced at Batter, who had his back to him as he slightly rested. Zacharie sounded almost delighted to hear this.

“Well that’s wonderful, a great set up. Thank you again, Dedan. I’m sure you’ll thank me later. Now, I really must be going now. The sooner I can get up and out of here, the sooner I can get back! Hopefully I will be back by the time Batter is ready to leave.”

“YEAH, YEAH, WHATEVER. GO SAY YOUR GOODBYES TO BATTER BEFORE YOU GO.”  
He grumbled as he got back to his work, letting Zach do his thing. Zacharie crouched by Batter, putting a hand on his shoulder and looking at him around the eye region.

“I’m going to go now, alright? I’ll be back later, and then you can tell me what happened while I was gone, I bet it will be quite the tale. We can catch up and bond later, but right now I have to do this. Hey- look at it this way. If I go, I can scope out the other zones before you even get there, and word of you even gets out. It’ll be okay, monsieur has your back, I promise.”  
He patted his shoulder, waiting for a response. He didn’t really get anything out of Batter, but he didn’t expect to.  
“See you around.”  
Another soft shoulder pat, and he got up, turning around and walking out.  
“Alright, goodbye you two, I’ll be leaving now. Behave while I’m gone!”

“YEAH, BYE, SEE YA. I’LL BE GENTLE WITH THE TWERP, JUST FOR YOU I FUCKING GUESS.”  
The guardian sneered to himself, back to being absorbed with his work.

“Bye.”  
Batter said loud enough to hear as the other walked away. It was probably the best Zach would get out of him for now, so he will take that.

The room fell into silence as the two refused to speak first. Batter was simply just a man of few words, he has many thoughts, but expresses none of them. Dedan on the other hand, was a large, loud, expressive guy who would say exactly what he was thinking. The air they created wasn’t an insanely comfy one, but nor was it that dangerous anymore. With a silent truce, it was like a little peace between the two, something that would usually never happen otherwise. 

Any other time, they would certainly beat each other until the other could no longer stand, but this time they had a reason to hold back. A reason to actually try to see past what they first thought of each other, perhaps even a chance to make up for the terrible greeting they had. Batter’s back was still sore from being slammed on the ground, his upper back burned and the muscles ached so badly that he had to lean most of his body against the side of Dedan’s desk, but even then breathing and shifting positions tended to strain him as well. It was all generally painful, and the worst part was the heavy feeling in his lungs, and the burning heat compressed in his chest, a broiling, scolding hold on him making it tough to breath. It all hurt everywhere all at once, and the bandages that firmly hugged him didn’t even help with any of the pain. Batter didn’t even realize that he had been slowly curling up on himself to help numb it all, even though it didn’t work; the only way he realized was a gentle poke on the back, sending him jerking forward involuntarily, hurting himself more in the process and grunting in pain.

Dedan hopped his chair a little closer to the side so he could more easily grab the purifier and drag him over, squinting at him as he swung Batter into his lap, back facing him so he could get a closer look. He could tell that the other was hurting, and he honestly found it a little insulting that he hadn’t said anything, but that wasn’t going to stop him from trying to see if Batt is okay. With one firm hand on Batter’s lower half so he couldn’t wiggle his way out, and the other gently over his chest, thumb over the spine to check where things hurt. As he thumbed over as much as he could, as gently as he could, Dedan could feel how Batt would jerk at even a small touch. 

Batter had a hard time breathing steadily while he was like this. He didn’t know what to do with his hands, his arms- anything, really. He had no room to move, and any time he even shifted how he was sitting, he could feel the hand around his waist get a better grip. It was rather shocking to him, he didn’t know how to react, he was trying to hold back any pained sounds from Dedan putting pressure on his back, but at times he pressed so hard it almost felt like he was trying to squeeze the full noise out. He did get his noise from him, as Batter felt the guardian remove the hand on his waist, slipping a few fingers under the belt to yank up the shirts from under it, he inhaled sharply in surprise. Dedan took his other hand away so he could slip up Batt’s shirts over his head, using that hand to hold his shirt, arms, and head down, as the other slid a finger under the bandages to peek under. The two growled at each other, Batter annoyed with being held like this, and Dedan because he was annoyed at Batter struggling while he was trying to help. The struggling stopped for a few moments as he cut the bandages off by running a claw down his spine carefully. It caused Batt to shiver, not squirming around too much, holding back coughs from being angled downwards, the heaviness in his chest moving to his throat. A hand was placed back on his chest, thumb barely even touching his back this time. A shrill, high pitched, disgruntled sound came from Dedan as he saw a massive, dark black bruise on Batter’s back, almost making the scars and scabs he had back there blend in. He was gentle where it clearly hurt, but was firm in holding Batt still, only pulling him back up as he heard the coughing and felt how his chest was burning up, something Dedan knows enough about, seeing as all his workers are smoke-spewing balls of stress.

Forcing the injured other around to face him, removing his tops so he could see bruises and scabs easier, Dedan stared down at Batter, eyes heavily squinted at him. He could feel the tremble in the others chest as he breathed, and he could feel the heat on the outside as the stress of being in bad pain burned him up inside. Sliding a hand under the diaphragm, and placing the other over the neck and shoulders to help keep him steady, he pushed down, forcing air up and out of the smaller man's lungs, making him turn and cough up a thick, dark substance as a hazey, burnt sugar smelling, black smoke poured out of Batter’s mouth in large puffs. Batter grabbed the hand on his torso by the wrist, painfully hissing at Dedan as he continued to cough, looking away so he didn’t get it on him. Attempting to talk was useless until he could stop hacking up all the strange substance from him.

“YOU’RE NOT THAT FUCKING DIFFERENT FROM ALL THE OTHER SMALL ASS TWERPS IT FUCKING SEEMS LIKE. HOLD IN STRESS LIKE THAT AND IT WILL EAT YOU INSIDE FUCKING OUT.”  
Dedan grumbled at Batter, gliding his hand down to the stitched wound, running a finger over it gently. It seemed fine, not as bad as the bruises Batter sustained.   
“LOOKS LIKE THAT FUCKING MORON DID A PISS POOR FUCKING JOB AT THIS. YOU SHOULD BE FUCKING FINE- YOU’LL FEEL A LOT BETTER TOMORROW, BUT CHANCES ARE YOU WONT FEEL EVEN REMOTELY GOOD ENOUGH TO START PURIFYING SHIT AGAIN. YOU BETTER NOT GET INTO FUCKING TROUBLE LIKE THAT AGAIN, YOU DON’T FUCKING KNOW WHEN YOUR ASS CANT BE SAVED LAST FUCKING MINUTE.”  
The hand on Batter’s shoulder traveled up to his face, palm resting on the side of his face as the thumb was placed on his chin, Dedan watching the colour of the smoke get cleaner as Batter kept breathing it out with big, shaky breaths.  
“AND WHEN I MEAN STRESS WILL EAT YOU UP INSIDE, I MEAN IT QUITE FUCKING LITERALLY. SO STOP BEING A FUCKING COCK AND SPEAK WHEN SOMETHING IS FUCKING WRONG, I’M NOT A MIND READER FOR FUCKS SAKE.”

“Okay, I am in a lot of pain and everything hurts. I do not know anyone, but yet I find myself having to trust you. You tried to kill me moments before, and now I am very close to you, and I don’t feel the logical need to flee because you are clearly being careful, which means you are not looking to harm me, even though you just tried to kill me.”  
Batter’s body rose and fell with his breaths, still coughing from time to time. Not knowing where to have his hands now, he kept one on each of Dedan’s arms, shivering a little from feeling so exposed for this long. He would like to put his shirt back on, he feels fine, even if he is in a lot of pain. He will deal with it.

“ARE WE BACK ON THIS AGAIN? OKAY, LOOK. I HAD NO IDEA WHO THE FUCK YOU WERE, AND FOR ALL I FUCKING KNEW, YOU WERE DANGER. FOR ALL I KNOW NOW, YOU STILL COULD BE, BUT… ZACHARIE CLEARLY CARED ENOUGH TO TRY TO SAVE YOU FROM YOUR OWN DUMB MISTAKE- THEN ME. AND YOU HAVE SUCH FUCKING POOR SELF-PRESERVATION SKILLS THAT YOU JUST JUMPED INTO ACTION WHEN YOU THOUGHT I MIGHT BE ATTACKING HIM. YOU’RE THE WEIRDEST ONE HERE, YOU ASSHOLE. I’M JUST THE GUY TRYING TO RUN THIS FUCKING PLACE SO IT’S ALL GOING SMOOTHLY, BUT THERE’S BEEN SO MUCH FUCKING SHIT LATELY, THAT IT’S HONESTLY FUCKING MY WHOLE DAY UP. EVERY. FUCKING. DAY. SO EXCUSE ME IF I’M A LITTLE FUCKING EDGY!”  
Both the guardians hands fell down to gently grab Batter a little below the waist, left hand down towards the thigh more, both holding the other in place with ease.  
“YOU HAVE A LOT TO FUCKING LEARN, AND IF YOU WEREN’T SO FUCKED UP RIGHT NOW, I’D HAVE THE FUCKING TIME TO GIVE YOU A LESSON OR FUCKING TWO, BUT YOU WENT AND FUCKED YOURSELF OVER SO YOU NEED TO CHILL. STRESSING OUT WONT FUCKING GET YOU ANYWHERE, IF ANYTHING IT WILL STOP YOU FROM GETTING BETTER AS FAST AS YOU SHOULD.”  
His right hand moved up, palming at Batt’s side as it slid up to his arm, grabbing under a large scar and moving it closer for him to see. Left hand feeling at, and grabbing his leg more. The other shuddered at the touch, jerking away slightly, only to be met with a firm squeeze to the upper leg.  
“YOU’RE A FUCKING MESS, GOD. YOU’RE NOT GOING TO BE COMFORTABLE JUST SITTING HERE ALL DAY..”  
There was a small pause as Dedan thought, no sounds but the ticking of a clock, and Batter’s heavy breaths. As Dedan pondered, his thumbs idly rubbed the spot that they rested out of habit, staring through where his eyes locked, racking his brain about what to do next. Batt slightly wriggled in the massive man’s grasp, a shiver running up his spine before he decided to look away, pulling his body as far as he could manage while being so closely twined with Dedan already.  
“I HAVE WORK TO DO STILL-”  
Dedan grunted, letting go of Batter, helping his shirts back on, watching the other get dressed again.  
“BUT I GUESS I CAN TAKE THE DAY OFF FOR TODAY SO I CAN WATCH YOU SOMEPLACE YOU MIGHT BE MORE COMFORTABLE. YOU SHOULD PROBABLY REST ANYWAYS, IF I REALLY NEED TO WORK I CAN JUST DO ALL THE STUPID PAPER WORK FROM MY ROOM, IT WORKS FOR THE BOTH OF US. IT’S ONLY THIS ONE FUCKING TIME, YOU RAT. DON’T THINK I’LL GO OUT OF MY FUCKING WAY EVERY GOD DAMN TIME YOU DRAG YOURSELF BACK HERE WITHIN AN INCH OF YOUR LIFE. I NEEDED A BREAK ANYWAYS, IT’S BEEN A FUCKING WHILE SINCE I GOT ONE.”  
Putting the purifier back down on the ground to stand, he got up himself and started sorting through some papers, putting them in a box to carry with him.

Batter knew he wasn’t going to be able to fight on this, nor did he really want to. Another sleep sounded fantastic at this point, maybe he would feel better after that. It doesn’t hurt to try, right? At worst, all it will do is just pass the time until he does feel better, so really he can’t lose by sleeping again. Though the walk to where they were going was going to be painful, it didn’t quite matter to him this time. You can’t feel guilty about sleeping when everything else physically hurts. If existence is pain, resting helps pass the time.


	4. Some Well Needed Rest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dedan lets Batter sleep in his room so he can recover and be able to purify once more. Batter learns more of what makes this Zone and it's Guardian tick.

A well deserved rest after being physically exhausted always feels the best. Your whole body can just relax and fall asleep once you find that one good position. Or, if you are actively in pain, you can barely find that spot long enough to stay asleep for more than a few hours. Sometimes you’re confined to one spot, and it's still not enough to get you really sleeping.

Batter was starting to wonder how Zacharie even got him to rest so fast in the first place. It had something to do with what he was given before he passed out, for sure. He almost wishes he had that now, as waking up every few hours isn’t fun. Though, the bed was very comfy, just about the only thing that got him to sleep in the first place. Unlike Zacharie, Dedan had a proper bed he slept in. Then again, he does live here and is the head of everything. So perhaps he deserves it. It is also amazing to sleep on while in seething pain, but it might be better without the pain. He was also a little cold, but he just fell asleep on top the blankets, front down so his back wasn’t touching anything. He was quiet, so the Guardian had no problem finishing his work in peace (and comfort if one might add).

After the third failed attempt at sleep in about five hours, the rather grumpy, and sore Purifier moved his head to the other side, groaning in pain when he accidentally moved his arm too much, alerting the other to his consciousness. He let out a sharp hiss when Dedan lightly touched his back to see how it was, twitching away as the Guardian retracted his hand rather quickly, squinting at Batter.

“YOU’RE NOT GOING TO GET ANY SLEEP SOON IF YOU CAN’T FIND A WAY TO BE IN LESS PAIN… LUCKY FOR YOU I MIGHT HAVE SOMETHING STORED AWAY THAT CAN HELP.”  
Putting down his work on the bed, Dedan stood up and walked over to a closet, rummaging through it as he continued to ramble on.  
“OUR ZONE PRODUCES NOTHING EXCEPT A FEW THINGS. WE SHIP ALL THE RAW MATERIALS TO ZONE 3 FOR THEM TO BE PROCESSED AND MADE INTO OTHER THINGS. ZACH WILL SOMETIMES TAKE SURPLUS OF OUR STOCK AND SELL IT TO ZONE 2. THE ONLY THINGS THIS ZONE PRODUCES, IS THINGS THAT STAY IN THE ZONE. LIKE WATER, AND THIS-”  
Out from a box within the closet, out he pulled a thing of a weird cream.  
“IT’S MOSTLY JUST THE FUCKING JUNK AND LEFT OVERS YOU OTHERWISE CANT REALLY USE, BUT SOMEONE FOUND OUT HOW TO MAKE SOMETHING THAT HELPS WITH SORES. WE KEEP IT IN THIS ZONE EXCLUSIVELY BECAUSE OF HOW ROUGH WORKING CONDITIONS CAN GET AT TIMES. YOU’D BE A FUCKING IDIOT TO THINK I WOULDN’T GIVE MY WORKERS COMPENSATION FOR THAT HARD FUCKING WORK- OR LET ALONE ANYTHING TO HELP PREVENT LIFE THREATENING FUCKING INJURIES.”  
He walked back over to the bed, sitting down and going to touch Batter again, quickly taking his hand away and grumbling under his breath.  
“YOU MIGHT HAVE A HARD TIME GETTING IT ON. I CAN DO THAT, YOU’LL ACTUALLY STAY ASLEEP THIS TIME- FUCKING HOPEFULLY. YOU SOUND A LOT LESS IN PAIN WHEN YOU’RE SLEEPING, SO I MIGHT AS WELL FUCKING DO THIS FOR YOU SO I DON’T HAVE TO HEAR YOU WAKE UP EVER FUCKING HOUR OR SO.”

With only an answer of an exasperated, and pained, grunt, Dedan assumed he had the okay to help. He lifted Batter's shirt up and over his head with one hand, yanking it a little to make sure it didn’t fall back down and get the substance on his clothes. The bruise was still very dark, so he tried to be as careful as one could be right now. It would hurt regardless, but causing unnecessary pain wasn’t something Dedan was really into. If he didn’t have to hurt anyone, he much rather not. Being angry all the time is rather tiring, it takes a lot of emotion to be angry. That’s why he works on his things alone so much, so many people irritate him to no end, the Elsen’s are the worst for this. It’s not their fault they are such morons though, so he can’t get too mad at them. He figures he can’t get too angry at Batter either, it’s not like he totally understands everything going on. It might take a while for him to absorb everything, but that’s fine. Being made as a creature of destruction probably isn’t as easy as some make it seem. Especially if that creature of destruction just had his ass kicked by the very things he was made to get rid of. Probably a kick to the non-existent ego, really. Then again, Dedan does remember that he isn’t the brightest, as shown by the fact he flung himself into danger the second he could. No self preservation skills, he would destroy himself trying to purify something stronger than him if he had half a brain cell less than he already does.

“What is this made out of?”

“YOU DON’T WANT TO REALLY KNOW. IT’S NOTHING TOO BAD, BUT AS I SAID, IT'S EVERYTHING WE CANNOT OTHERWISE SHIP OUT TO OTHER ZONES. WE FIND A USE FOR EVERYTHING. SOMETIMES THOSE LITTLE SHITHEAD ELSEN’S ACTUALLY GET A GOOD IDEA WITH THE JUNK WE HAVE. THIS CAME FROM ONE OF THE FUCKERS. IT WAS MY BEST FUCKING FRIEND WHEN I WAS FIRST TRYING TO CLEAR THE FUCKING ASSHOLE SPECTRES OUT MYSELF.”  
Dedan pressed down a little hard, making Batter hiss at him again, pulling away slightly.

“Why did you stop trying?”

“JUST FUCKING LOOK AT YOURSELF. DO YOU THINK I LOOKED MUCH BETTER? YOU TRY TO KILL THOSE FUCKERS AND YOU END UP WEARING YOURSELF FUCKING THIN. THAT’S WHERE THEY FUCKING GET YOU, IF YOU CANT KEEP UP YOU’RE ALREADY FUCKING DEAD MEAT. NOW THAT YOU’RE HERE, MAYBE WE BOTH STAND A FUCKING CHANCE, BUT YOU HAVE TO FUCKING REST FIRST. YOU CANT JUST GO INTO BATTLE AND PULL A FUCKING MUSCLE THE FIRST FUCKING TIME YOU TRY TO SWING A LITTLE TOO FUCKING HARD!! THINK ABOUT YOURSELF YOU PRICK, THINGS FUCKING HURT. A LOT.”  
Pulling away from the other, he got up off the bed to put everything away.  
“THAT SHOULD FUCKING HELP. IT WILL AT LEAST NUMB THINGS ENOUGH TO GET YOU SLEEPING LONGER THAN 2 FUCKING HOURS. AT BEST YOU’LL WAKE UP ABLE TO FUCKING WALK AT LEAST.”  
The Guardian sat back down on the bed picking his work back up and focusing back on that, knowing that Batter would have nothing more to say than a tired grunt.

It did indeed help, although it made Batter colder because his tops weren’t covering his back, he could honestly care less; because the pain was now becoming tolerable enough to actually fall asleep, and not wake up everytime he twitches too hard. It was quite nice, being able to rest and not find that you woke up an hour later to be in just as much pain as you were before, it was quite peaceful now that he could drift to full unconsciousness. The faster the days go by, the less time he will actually be spending here, right? Yeah, that’s how it works, as long as it feels like it was a short time, that should be what matters. Just get better, purify a zone, and move on. Sort of? He has to hang around the loud asshole to purify the zone, and when he leaves he has to go back to the deal with Zach. Purify things, but return to him when it starts to get late. So no going up to the Guardians and beating them to death with a holy bat, that is out of the equation, especially now that he's sleeping in the bed of a Guardian at this exact moment. Perhaps he is lucky that he gets to do this, he could be dead, things could be a lot worse. He could be on the run from Dedan. Batter doesn’t want to even imagine what might happen if he was caught by the Guardian had Zach successfully hidden him- or. Rather, had Batter not botched the whole thing by attacking Dedan first. To be fair, it did sound like his friend was in danger, so he will never fault himself for that. The taste of blood might not leave his mouth so long as he remembers what happens, but he can’t blame himself for trusting whatever his first thought was- and that was no thought. Only action. Tackling someone bigger than him might have been a bad idea… It was for sure a bad idea. No way it wasn’t a bad, horrible idea; but you know wasn’t a bad idea? Dedan’s idea to use that pain relief cream on Batter. He fell asleep as soon as the effects started to hit him, no issue in staying asleep now that the pain was tolerable enough to drift off.

There was no real way of telling how long he could have been passed out for, but when he did finally get up from his deep slumber, the other he was sharing a room with had already passed out right beside him, clearly falling asleep in a fashion that spoke to how he was trying to not disturb the Purifier . The pain was much better, more numbed and dull than the constant stinging pain of before; he could tolerate this. Another thing he noticed as he started to stir the fog from his brain, was that he wasn’t as cold anymore. Dedan had pulled down his tops once his back was dry enough, probably falling asleep somewhat after then. Batter’s puppeteer laid down, resting softly in front of his line of view, opening her eyes when she noticed him noticing her.

“Finally awake?”  
She kept her voice low, even if Batter was the only one who could hear and see her.   
“Dedan fell asleep a few hours ago. How are you feeling? Better? I hope so.”

“Yes, much better.”  
He kept his voice low, not wanting to wake his unfortunate roommate. The puppeteer smiled at Batter, happy that he was well.

“Good! I am glad that you’re doing better, but you should be resting some more. This is one of the more favourable things that could happen to you, I know because things tend to go a lot worse. This time you might have a chance at really saving things, you might be able to live in a world that's safe one day. Maybe, just maybe, you’ll even stop needing me! Though that’s a long way coming. For now, I think sleeping is the best thing you could do.”  
She rolled onto her back, looking at Batter with a weird cat face, trying to lighten the mood.

“I just slept, and I am a little uncomfortable. I want to move positions, but I'm still sore.”  
The Batter shifted himself, turning over to face Dedans back so that he could have his face on the other side for a while. His puppeteer hopped over, curling up next to him and purring.

“Well that works I guess! But please do sleep more, this is the most you might get for a bit, I’m not sure. The first time I ran through this, I completed the task in a day. It was very rewarding. Not so nice about what had to happen, but no one really had much choice anymore.”

“... How has this taken longer if you have done this before?”  
He sounded curious, groggy from his rest still.

“I wasn’t expecting all those spectres, there were less of them that time. This was set up against you either way. First time you were just coaxed in the wrong direction. This time you got taken down a peg the first day and now you're stuck trying to be all buddy-buddy with a man that wanted you dead before. Clearly things will be different this time. As I said, you might have a chance this time. I’m not sure, I’m just the one trying to help you out so you don’t die. And the best I could do is take you somewhere- or so someone that could actually help more than I. Just trust me here, okay?”

“Whatever.”  
He grunted in annoyance, trying to get into a position that was comfy enough to fall asleep in again.

Even though he was comfortable in his resting state, a rude awakening came in the form of the flash of a light, the turning on of a lamp that just so happened to be in position to strike his eyes, forcing him to jolt from his sleep. It burned, even if his eyes had been shut when it happened. Turning his back to the bright lamp, he curled up on himself, shielding his head with both of his arms. He groaned in pain, shuddering as he tried to dull the burning. The light was just so bright- and so fast as well. The false lights were all so horribly bright. As he balled up on himself, it hit him that his hat had come off at some point, or was removed. Either way, his hat was not on to stop the light from hurting his eyes.

“YOU’RE AWFULLY FUCKING SENSITIVE TO LIGHT FOR SOMEONE WHO CLAIMS TO PURIFY THINGS..”  
Dedan’s voice rang out as Batter felt the bed dip from the other sitting down next to him, using his body to casually block the light out for him.  
“YOU SMOKE LIKE A FUCKING ELSEN, BUT IF YOU SO MUCH AS LOOK AT SOMETHING TOO FUCKING BRIGHT, YOU LOOK LIKE YOU…”  
He found himself at a loss to describe it, grumpily questioning out loud, “WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU ANYWAYS?” Immediately feeling how rude that came across, but not knowing how to really fix the words he just basically shouted out. 

“If I could answer, I would love to.”  
The Batter slowly un-curled himself, growling under his breath as he felt around for his hat, finding it next to him and putting it on.  
“Light just burns my eyes. I am much better at seeing in the dark, that is why I prefer to have my eyes closed, it hurts my eyes less.”  
Silence fell on both of them as Batter undid his belt to tuck his shirts back in, neither of them really having words to say; except for Batt as he noticed Dedan watching him with his usual squint. He squinted back from under the shade of his cap, looking Dedan over carefully. He was almost a deep, hot red in most places. Others were more mellow, comforting warm reds, but much of the skin he could see was very warm looking.  
“For someone as loud as you, you tend to stare a lot when you’re quiet. Are you thinking, or has something caught your eyes? Were you wanting to check the bruise? I can promise you that I am feeling much better than before, so you can feel relieved that you do not have to spend another day in here with me. I may not be ready yet according to your standards, but I feel good enough to sit on a hard floor.” 

“TURN AROUND AND LET ME FEEL HOW BAD IT IS STILL.”  
Avoiding most of the questions, a very odd way to express whatever emotion he is avoiding to admit. Avoid the words that make you feel, and stick to the main subject. Of course Batter turned around for Dedan, he figured he was in a good spot to push a little, something wasn’t being said, and he was curious.

Sitting back to the Guardian, Batter felt the other wrap both hands around him, thumbs placed on his spine, fingers splayed out and grabbing at him ever so slightly. He could feel the head from Dedan’s hands practically radiating off of him, it distracted him from the fact that the thumbs were being pressed down onto his back, before they hit the point it shot a pain through the Purifier , forcing a surprised, sharp gasp from him. Pressure eased up as the hands relaxed on him, still holding onto the smaller other, slowly sliding as they adjusted for a better, stronger grip.  
“You ignored most of my questions-”  
A small noise jumped from him as he felt Dedan slip his fingers under his belt, feeling for his shirts and pulling them back out, wrapping his hands around Batter, this time making skin contact as he gently pulled the other between his legs, a growl to his already loud, screechy voice.  
“AND YOU, BATTER, ARE UNUSUALLY COLD.”  
The small Purifier refused to look at the Guardian as he felt the others hands grip at him more, taking up as much surface area as he could, warming the other up. He could feel the larger man's hands softly rubbing at him, helping warm him up, even if the most Batter felt was really sluggish, not cold.  
“YOU MAY FEEL LIKE YOU’RE OKAY, BUT YOU DON’T SPEAK MUCH SO I DON’T QUITE TRUST WHAT YOU SAY ON HOW WELL YOU FEEL. AND FOR THE FUCKING RECORD: WHAT IM LOOKING AT OR THINKING IS NONE OF YOUR FUCKING BUSINESS, YOU RUNT.”  
Unbeknownst to the other, Dedan could tell that Batt was setting into the warmth of his hands, he could also feel how the longer he held on, the less cold his skin became. Squeezing the puppet as he shuddered, the two of them grumbled at each other. Eventually, as he felt the cold man warm up to a normal temperature, he could also feel that the other had begrudgingly relaxed, probably enjoying the heat of another while it was happening. That, or processing it. Perhaps both.  
“MAYBE WE SHOULD HEAD OUTSIDE FOR A BIT, GET YOUR PALE ASS SOME FUCKING SUN.”  
As he slipped his hands away from Batter’s skin, he put them back over his clothes, tucking the shirts back in for him, trying to be even slightly polite. He could feel the shiver of his new, smaller roommate as he slipped his fingers down under the belt again, softly grazing against him as Dedan tried to make sure it was uniform enough before removing his hands completely. The other didn’t even speak until Dedan’s hands were completely removed, gently exhaling afterwards, shoulders dropping a little.

“Okay, that might be a good idea.”  
As Batter got up from the bed, a sharp pain rang out through his entire back, causing him to stumble a bit before he could get his footing; the Guardian watching him very closely as he got up as well. 

“ARE YOU GOING TO NEED HELP WALKING AS WELL, OR ARE YOU SURE YOU’RE FINE?”  
Dedan took a step over towards Batter, eyes squinted at him slightly as he watched the other pause before answering, a painful twitch forcing a silent pained sound, caused by a subtle shudder. A face could only tell so much about what one is thinking when all you can see is a mouth and a nose. The Purifier always stood stiff when he knew Dedan was looking, giving him the feeling that there was something being unsaid by the other. He knew he was tall and intimidating for someone like him, but he never thought it might be a full time commitment to get this man to trust him. After all, he might be useful, very useful.

“I will be fine, do not baby me. If we are going outside, let us leave now. Otherwise, I don't feel awake enough to want to leave.”   
Staring each other down, Dedan grumbled, squinting at Batter before walking over to the door, turning the knob, and grouchily telling the other to follow. Getting outside was relatively easy, really. The bedroom was hidden behind his office, so once you leave there, just one wrong turn and you are back outside in no time! Keep’s idiots out, and serves as a quick escape as well.

Early-morning sun rays warmed up the ground from an otherwise cold night. Cream clouds lightly dotted the sky, breaking up the colours of a sunrise. From here, it was quite hard to see the sun, but some areas in between buildings let beams shine through. The air felt cold still, but it was more lively now that the dark was being scattered away. Disturbing, meat schloshing came from the rivers of it, strange, large paddle ducks sitting near the edges. They had a nice coating of white paint, it seemed to barely stain in the rivers, which was quite a surprise. One might figure it would stain from all the blood, but the assumption would have to be wrong. They looked quite big, but probably still a little small for Dedan, or that’s what it looks like to Batter from outside the doors to the maze that is the office in Alma. 

Although the sites were quite nice this early in the morning, Batter had mostly one thing on his mind- Well, one of two things. He was wondering how long Zacharie would be gone for. He already sort of misses him, even if he didn’t know him that well. Zach, if he was honest with himself, felt very safe to be around. Even if he isn’t big and strong, he still felt very safe to be around. Perhaps it is because he saved him, but Batter wasn’t about to go too deep into that. He just wished that he had more time with Zach before he had to leave for so long. However long that is? If he is honest, Batter doesn’t really understand half of what is going on. It’s a little frightening, really. Though, Dedan was also safe to be around. Sort of? He could kill him easily, but the fact that he is so gentle when he’s touching him is… Well, to Batter it makes him think that Dedan is actually trying to be a good man around him- or something like that? For now, he has no reason to suspect the other has ill-intent behind everything. They have gotten oddly close many times, and each time there was restraint of some kind. Clearly, that counts for something, right? Maybe?

“IT’S CALLED A PEDALO.”  
Dedan's voice rang out, startling Batter back into what was going on, realizing he had spaced out looking at the fake duck creatures. When he looked back at the Guardian confused, he spoke again.  
“THE THING YOU WERE FUCKING STARING AT, IT’S CALLED A PEDALO. WE USE THEM TO GET ACROSS SMALL BODIES OF PLASTIC, OR IN THIS CASE, RIVERS OF MEAT. THE RIVERS OF MEAT ARE ACTUALLY PART OF THE PROCESS WE DO HERE TO MAKE SURE IT’S COMPLETELY SAFE TO EAT. WE HAVE TO KEEP SOME OF THE FOOD WE MAKE HERE YOU KNOW, I HAVE TO FEED MY WORKERS, I’M NOT A FUCKING ASSHOLE. I’M..”  
There was a stop as Dedan’s thoughts clearly landed on something rather unpleasant.   
“I DONT TALK TO EITHER OF THE GUARDIANS ANYMORE, THEY BOTH HAVE THEIR OWN FUCKED UP SHIT THEY HAVE TO DEAL WITH, I COULDN’T AFFORD BEING THEIR FRIEND AND WATCHING THEM DO WHAT THEY WERE DOING. IT TENDS TO FEEL LIKE I’M THE ONLY ONE ACTUALLY DOING MY FUCKING JOB! OUT OF THE OTHER GUARDIANS- THE ELSENS WORK THEIR FUCKING ASSES OFF AND I STILL GIVE SOME OF THEM SHIT- BUT TO BE FAIR THEY CAN GET ON MY NERVES SO FUCKING EASILY. SO MANY OF THEM ARE DUMBASSES!!!! I CAN’T BLAME THE FUCKERS, BUT IF THEY ACTUALLY HAD TIME FOR SOME THINGS, MAYBE LIFE WOULDN'T BE SUCH SHIT.”  
He sighed heavily, crossing his arms and staring down Batter as the other seemed to listen intently.  
“I KNOW I’M GOING TO HAVE TO TALK TO THEM AND GET THEM TO STRAIGHTEN UP EVENTUALLY, BUT FUCK! IT’S SO FUCKING HARD WHEN THEY ARE SO DAMN DELUSIONAL. PLUS UH… YOU NEVER FUCKING HEARD THIS YOU LITTLE WRETCH, YOU LITTLE FUCKING WORTHLESS SHIT. THIS NEVER FUCKING HAPPENED YOU BRAT, BUT. I MOSTLY DON’T WANT TO FUCKING LEAVE YET BECAUSE OF ALL THESE DAMN SPECTRES. IF I LEAVE EVEN FOR A DAY, I DON’T KNOW WHAT THE FUCK MIGHT HAPPEN. I RATHER KEEP MY DAMN PEOPLE SAFE FIRST. IF I CAN SAVE THEM THEN I DID THE MOST I COULD FUCKING DO. I RATHER SAVE AS MANY AS I CAN FROM DYING THEN SACRIFICE ALL OF THEM WHEN I COULD PROBABLY FIND ANOTHER WAY AROUND THIS SHIT. AND WHAT DO I FUCKING KNOW, YOU SHOW UP. IF ZACH DIDN’T CONVINCE ME YOU COULD HELP MY ASS, I WOULD HAVE BEAT THE SHIT OUT OF YOUR TWERP ASS. YOU WOULDN’T HAVE STOOD A FUCKING CHANCE IF YOU DIDN’T HAVE TIME TO PREPARE FOR IT…”  
He looked away, grumbling to himself lowly.  
“SO WHEN THAT FUCKER GETS BACK, YOU MIGHT AS WELL THANK HIM FOR SAVING US ALL A LOT OF TROUBLE. I SWEAR, HE KNOWS MORE THAN WHAT HE FUCKING LEADS ON TO AT TIMES. THAT, OR HE HAS THE DUMBEST FUCKING LUCK IN THE WORLD. I CAN’T FUCKING DECIDE. I’VE KNOWN THAT PRICK FOR YEARS, AND I STILL DON’T KNOW HIM ALL THAT WELL. YOU PROBABLY KNOW HIM ALMOST AS WELL AS I DO, BUT WHAT I DO KNOW IS THAT HE WILL ALWAYS SHOW BACK UP. SOMETIMES WHEN YOU LEAST EXPECT IT TOO. TRY NOT TO THINK ABOUT HIM BEING GONE TOO MUCH, HE’LL BE BACK. WE HAVE WORK TO DO ANYWAYS. LIKE FIGURING OUT HOW WE ARE GOING TO ‘COMPLETE YOUR MISSION.’”  
Before Batter could say anything, the Guardian whipped his head back over to him, staring him down rather coldly.  
“AND BEFORE YOU EVEN FUCKING ASK- IT WAS THE LOOK ON YOUR DUMB MUG THAT GAVE IT AWAY. WITH A FACE LIKE THAT, OF FUCKING COURSE I CAN TELL YOU MISS HIM. YOU MAY THINK YOU CAN HIDE WHAT YOU’RE THINKING FROM PEOPLE, AND YOU’D BE RIGHT, BUT YOU CAN’T FUCKING HIDE HOW YOUR FEELING. PEOPLE WHO ARE ACTUALLY FUCKING LOOKING WILL TELL.”  
They stared at each other, a long, awkward moment of silence. It broke as the other walked over to the meat river, staring it down.

“You said the meat river was part of some process. What does it do exactly?”  
The Purifier avoided most of what was just said, but he had clearly listened to him, and remembered well enough that he knew a little bit of what Dedan said to completely jump over what had just happened. Perhaps almost an admission of something, as he refused to comment further, but neither men were ready to push the other too hard. Like two nervous adults trying to communicate after both had not had proper one on one contact for a while, and not professional business contact, no one uses their real face for a business setting. The whole “business setting” thing is really just to get people to behave and not kick up a fuss when they are being treated poorly.

“... WELL, IT’S COMPLICATED, BUT IT’S ONE OF THE FIRST PROCESSES, IT DOESN’T TEND TO STAY HERE LONG- THAT’S HOW MUCH MEAT WE TEND TO PRODUCE. WHEN THE FLOW OF PRODUCTION WAS BETTER, THE RIVER WAS MUCH HIGHER. SOMETIMES WE HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF A SURPLUS SOME YEARS, SO THAT’S WHY WE HAVE THIS BIG ENOUGH TO MAKE UP FOR THAT. WE USUALLY CALL THESE THE MEAT FOUNTAINS OF ALMA, AND I WOULD USUALLY PUT RAILS HERE SO WORKERS WOULD STOP FUCKING FALLING IN AND DROWNING ALL THE GOD DAMN FUCKING TIME- BUT I CANT FUCKING DO THAT BECAUSE OF THE PEDALOS. SO I JUST TELL THE LITTLE MORONS NOT TO EVEN GO NEAR THE FUCKING EDGE. IT’S NOT EVEN BY FAR READY AT THIS STAGE IN PROCESSING, YOU STILL COULD GET SICK AS FUCK FROM IT. THIS IS MOSTLY JUST THE TRANSPORTING STAGE TO THE OTHER PROCESSING PLANT, WE HAVE TO KEEP IT SOMEWHERE AND BECAUSE WE HAVE SO MUCH ALL THE TIME, WE JUST DID THIS. IT’S MUCH EASIER AND HELPS HOLD OUR SURPLUS FOR YEARS WE MIGHT END UP A LITTLE SHORT.”

“I see.”  
Another pause fell on them, a strange silence.  
“You have all these cattle you take care of. How do they eat?”

“I WAS WONDERING WHEN YOU’D ASK THAT. WAY OUT PAST DAMIEN IS THE CATTLE PASTURES. WE RAISE THEM THERE, AND WHEN THEY ARE READY TO BE SLAUGHTERED, THE ELSENS HAVE TO MOVE THEM INTO THE SPECIAL BARNS WE USE FOR IT. IT’S MESSY WORK, AND IT TAKES A SPECIAL FUCKING WORKER TO STOMACH KILLING THOSE COWS. I MAKE SURE EACH ONE OF THOSE ASSHOLES ARE DOING A JOB THEY WILL BE BEST IN SO EVERYTHING WORKS AS SMOOTH AS IT FUCKING CAN. SO FAR THAT’S WORKED AS WELL AS IT POSSIBLY FUCKING CAN. BEFORE YOU EVEN ASK HOW IT’S SHIPPED, WE USE BOATS. THE PEOPLE ALL REFUSE TO GO INTO THE NOTHINGNESS MOST TIMES, SO WE SHIP MATERIALS OVER SEA. WHEN BOATS GO TO ZONE TWO, USUALLY THEY COME BACK LOADED WITH PEOPLE READY TO WORK. THOSE THAT ARE GOING BACK TO ZONE TWO WILL HOP ON A CARGO SHIP AND BE APART OF THE CREW TIL THEY GET BACK HOME. SOMETIMES THE ELSENS LIKE THE BOATS SO MUCH THEY END UP TRAINING TO DRIVE ONE OF THOSE FUCKING THINGS. NOT ALL OF THEM, BUT THERE’S A BRAVE FUCKING FEW OUT THERE. WHAT WE HAVE SET UP IS A DELICATE FUCKING WEB THAT BARELY WORKS ANYMORE AND IS BEING HELD UP ON THE BACKS OF THOSE WHO ARE WORKING THE MOST IMPORTANT POSSITIONS. AS I FUCKING SAID, MY RELATIONSHIP WITH THE OTHER GUARDIANS HAVE GONE TO COMPLETE FUCKING SHIT. I’LL FUCKING DECK JAPHET IF I FUCKING HAVE TO, BUT IF I WANT TO MAKE ENOCH FUCKING SNAP OUT OF THE FUCKING- GOD. I DON'T EVEN WANT TO TALK ABOUT HIM. HE’S FUCKED UP, HE WAS A NICE MAN AND THEN SOMETHING FUCKING HAPPENED. I CAN ONLY HOPE THAT YOU DON’T EVER HAVE TO FACE THAT ASSHEAD ALONE.”  
They stared at the plastic duck as it bobbed with the small waves in the river. There was a lot more to this world than Batter could have even imagined.

“You seem very stressed, it sounds like you have a lot to take care of.”  
He looked up at Dedan, feeling a tad sympathetic for the man. For someone with so much on his shoulders, he seems to have an easy time being kind when he’s alone with someone.   
“It makes sense that you are so angry all the time. If I was you, I think I would be angry too. I do not know these other guardians, but I can’t imagine what it could have been like to witness them go from who they were before, to whatever they are now. I do not know how well I can help, if I can help at all, but what I do know how to do is purify spectres, so if I can help that way, I suppose that is one less thing on your plate.”

“IF YOU THINK I’M GOING TO LET YOU JUMP RIGHT INTO KILLING THOSE FUCKING THINGS AGAIN- YOU’RE WRONG. YOU HAVE TO GET BETTER STILL, AND EVEN WHEN YOU ARE, YOU’RE NOT GOING ALONE THE FIRST FEW TIMES. THINGS GO MUCH EASIER WHEN YOU HAVE SOMEONE BY YOUR SIDE.”  
Dedan looked down at Batter, putting a hand on his shoulder, even if his whole palm could cover it and then some.  
“ZACHARIE TRUSTED ME TO KEEP YOU ALIVE AT THE VERY FUCKING LEAST. AND THAT’S WHAT I INTEND ON FUCKING DOING. I MAY NOT BE THE BEST WITH PROMISES, BUT IT WON'T STOP ME FROM TRYING. I DON’T NEED YOUR DUMB FUCKING ASS TO BE DYING ON ME. YOU ALMOST DIED ONCE, LET’S KEEP THAT AT A ONE TIME THING, OKAY? OKAY.”

“Okay. Then if that is the case, I think I would like to go sit down. I am very sore.”  
Batter looked up at the taller other, looking quite fine physically, but he does put on a good stoic face even when he’s in pain, so Dedan had no reason to doubt that.

“UNLESS YOU WANT TO GO BACK INSIDE, THE PEDALO IS RIGHT THERE. IT’S MEANT TO BE RIDDEN ON, EVEN IF I’M A LITTLE BIT FOR IT. IT HAD TO BE SMALL ENOUGH FOR THE ELSENS, SO THAT’S THE BIGGEST THEY COULD GET.”

“I like my rest with a less chance of drowning in meat.”  
Batter spoke in a completely serious tone, but Dedan couldn’t tell if it was a joke or not, so he just slightly laughed it off and patted the small Purifier’s back, turning both of them around and pushing Batter a little as he walked back over to inside.

“YEAH, ALRIGHT, WHATEVER. I DON’T BLAME YOU FOR TAKING THE CHANCE TO NOT USE ONE OF THOSE, I DON’T LIKE BEING NEAR THOSE EITHER. IT’S SO THICK YOU LITERALLY CANNOT SWIM IN IT, YOU WOULD DROWN LIKE THE REST OF US IF YOU FELL IN.”  
The two walked back inside for a small rest once more. The Guardian had to prepare for the day anyways, so he didn’t mind much, a little time to himself before having to jump to work would be okay, and maybe by the time he really has to leave, Batter might feel good enough to come with him. Though for now, rest is needed again.


	5. Getting Down to Business

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After The Batter has recovered enough to finally get back into purifying, Dedan insists he helps for the first while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter TW(s): Food mentions, brief NSFW content

In the days Batter was being forced to get better, it mostly entailed sleeping, and a very frustrated Dedan trying to teach the other basic things, like taking care of himself. It was frustrating to both of them, really. They kept butting heads, their personalities not blending together well at first. Batter, unable to grasp the concept of self preservation, and Dedan, a very ill-tempered man who cares too much about if someone is doing okay (but would never admit it), especially if that someone is under this care. Anytime they aren’t in a tense argument because one of them isn’t grasping what the other is saying, Dedan is rambling on about something about the Zone or trying to avoid talking about the others in too much detail. The quiet moments Batter found the oddest. Always the small pauses, the break the Guardian will take mid-thought when the two are close, the strange squint he always does when he stares at Batt. The Purifier never really understood why Dedan would squint like that at him, nor did he understand the strange feelings around the taller man. He was unsure of what it all meant, what he was supposed to do about it. He isn’t equipped for this, and asking for help isn’t something he really wants to do. Any help Dedan gave him, he had to offer himself, and he clearly knew that, as he seemed to never stop checking in on Batt every now and then. Even when he was all better, and could stand and move around like normal again without any pain, he wasn’t allowed to go purify spectres on his own at first. The idea was frustrating at first, he hated people getting in his way. This was his mission, and his alone, but Dedan insisted he helped. He didn’t want Batter dying right away again, it was the very thing he was trying to do, keep him alive long enough for Zacharie to get back, but Batter had a tendency to throw himself into things he’s not ready for.

The first day of trying to purify the mines with Dedan went pretty well, the spectres weren’t as plentiful, and the ones that were there were small. They never went past the first level, and mainly focused on the areas that needed to be cleared so they could work again. It was a tough day's work, as it did take all day. The sun was setting as they came out from the mine, very tired and sore, but neither willing to admit. The brilliant orange reflection of the sun rippled in the soft waves that crashed against the sharp plastic shore. Clouds lightly spotted the faded sky, a view that almost makes Batter appreciate having a puppeteer that can lend him their eyes. The exit they came out of was next to the docks, ships pulling in at the last minute, some leaving at the last minute, and others getting ready to pack up for the night. The air was cooling down quickly, an almost icey feel to the air as wind started to pick up.

“TOMORROW WE WILL HIT UP ONE OF THE FACTORIES. WORKERS HAVE BEEN COMPLAINING OF STRANGE SOUNDS AND COWORKERS GOING MISSING. I DON’T WANT YOU FUCKING ANY OF THE MACHINERY UP, SO I’M COMING WITH YOU, BUT FOR NOW WE GET TO GO BACK AND REST.”  
Dedan walked past the other without even looking at him, continuing to talk.  
“BEFORE WE DO THAT THOUGH, I’M GOING TO GO SHOW YOU SOMETHING.”

They walked for what felt like an hour, going down twisty roads that lead to more housing dominated areas, to a large, main road that was shared with cattle-drawn wagons, and Elsens. Along the road mostly bore small shops, restaurants, a little bit of housing, and a few other necessities. The road took you to the main areas across Zone 1, or at least the ones that didn’t have to be reached by tram. The sun had already set at that time, the sky growing dark, the activity on the roads thinning out to almost none. Lights came on as it got dark enough, as it scared away spectres from wandering in during the night.

As they came up to a small eatery, Batter took a second to look at the various posters hanging up on the window. Small job offers, rooms for rent, even what looks to be someone offering some sort of music lessons. The outside of the building smelled nice, the aroma of freshly cooked food very strong. He snapped back to reality as Dedan gently grabbed his hand and held it in the palm of his own, bringing him inside. Before, the Guardian had struggled to explain to his not-so-bright roommate, why he had to consume food outside of battle. So instead of arguing with a man who clearly has the standpoint of a brick wall, Dedan planned to bulldoze through that one barrier by taking him to the best place he knew here. The inside was decorated nicely, it smelled nice, and even the lighting shouldn’t be too, too harsh on Batter. It was becoming empty as people finished their food and left to get home before dark, but for those that worked here, this shop was their home. They lived just above it, and they never have to leave the Zone, as this was their permanent business. Dedan liked the food here, as they made do with what they got very well. The two men sat right across from each other, menus just taped to the table. If you couldn’t pick it up, then you couldn’t hurt yourself on it. The Guardian thought they feared too much and went a little extreme with safety measures at times, but he learned to try to say nothing of it, unless it’s affecting their work. Loud, muffled noises came from the kitchen of what was probably dish washing and the like.

“IF I CAN’T CONVINCE YOU, I’M GOING TO LET YOU DECIDE FOR YOURSELF, BECAUSE I KNOW FOR SURE YOU HAVEN’T TRIED SHIT YET. TRY IT, SEE IF YOU LIKE IT, IF NOT, WHAT THE FUCK EVER, I TRIED. IF YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU WANT, I’LL JUST GET SOMETHING FOR YOU.”  
He leaned down to read the small print on the laminated paper, quite annoyed at how small the words are. Batter stared at the menu for a second, realized he didn’t really understand a lick of what anything really means or is, even if he can read the words. 

“Yes, I think you will have to do that.”  
Batter looked up at Dedan, a slightly nervous look to his otherwise stoic face. Dedan just shrugged and said nothing of it. He could feel the stares of the others in the room, small glances and hushed murmurs. He was so busy in the background noise, that he slightly jumped when he suddenly felt a large hand on his knee. Staring up at the other, Dedan looked at him softer than usual, his voice majorly hushed as he told him not to think about it too hard. That is easier said than done, but nonetheless he tried to forget about it.

The waiter was just as nervous looking as everyone else, but he at least managed to crack a smile. Dedan seemed to make him feel more comfortable with Batter’s presence, though he could feel the fear radiation off of the small Eslen. He was a great listener, though, as he was gone to get the order in no time. The food however, wasn’t no time. It seemed to take a while, good time for the two to chat as the place really started to empty out.

“SO. BATTER. I’VE GONE ON AND ON ABOUT ME AND THIS FUCKING ZONE. WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO SAY SOMETHING ABOUT YOURSELF? YOU GOT ANYTHING TO SAY AT ALL? EVEN IF IT’S SMALL?”  
All he managed to elicit, was a simple shrug. Dedan sighed heavily and groaned a little.  
“OKAY, LET ME ASK A QUESTION THEN. HOW DID YOU GET INTO MY ZONE?”  
Starting off tough, but understandable.

“The nothingness.”

“NO FUCKING SHIT, MORON. I MEAN HOW DID YOU GET IN IF NO ONE EVEN KNOWS YOU? YOU NEED A SPECIAL CARD TO GET INTO ALL THE ZONES, HOW DID YOU GET INTO THIS ONE WITHOUT A CARD?”

“Oh, that. The Judge.”

“...PABLO LET YOU IN? THE CAT IN ZONE 0? THAT JUDGE?”  
He sounded a little irritated with that shouty voice of his.

“Yes, I do not know of any other.”  
Batter shrugged again, clasping his hands together in his lap, unsure on what he is to do with his hands.

“WELL THAT IS THE ONLY ONE, I’M JUST A LITTLE SURPRISED. HE HADN’T LEFT THE ZONE FOR A WHILE, I CAN’T REMEMBER THE LAST TIME I EVEN SAW HIM.”  
They both went silent for a while before Dedan spoke up again, trying to fill the nearly noiseless void.  
“ARE YOU FEELING OKAY AFTER THE MINE? YOU SORE AT ALL? I WANT TO MAKE SURE YOU AREN’T HURTING YOURSELF MORE BEFORE YOU’RE DONE GETTING BETTER. I’M NOT HAVING YOU PULL A MUSCLE SO HARD I CAN’T DO SHIT FOR IT.”

“I am fine, you concern yourself too much with my wellbeing, I can take care of myself.”  
The two grumbled at each other, knowing that there was a communication wall between them, mostly on Batter’s end. He wasn’t ready for all these new and weird feelings right off the bat. Although he was learning quickly, when it came to the man he’s been listening to this whole time, he hasn’t the faintest idea. He knew all these useless things, or what felt like useless. He intently listened to Dedan all the time, even if he never showed he was listening other than staring at him or having his head tilted closer to him if he was zoning out a little. All the other seemed to like to talk about was how the Zone worked, in as much detail as he could. How they would filter the plastic ocean to get clean water, and the plastic chunks they got from that often went into making small piddly shit, things Elsens can waste money on. Dedan may make them work hard, but he would never force that to be their whole life there. You have to have SOME meaning outside of that or else you slowly lose your mind. There were even workers that were trained to dive underwater, because the ocean gets so hot that the water bubbles out of it, creating huge plastic chunks at the bottom of the seafloor. These chunks were surprisingly good for building materials, sometimes even being used to make a strange, almost concrete-like substance. Batter even could name off almost everything cattle are used for, such as their bones are used in meals and for growing food. Most of it goes right back to the cattle, but they have enough that they can export some to the other Zones at times. They even export literal cow shit to the other Zones for various purposes. Dedan made sure that he didn't miss anything, he used everything he could as safely as he could. Fish was the only other kind of animal meat on market, but it was always expensive to get. They could only catch fish during certain seasons, and even then you have a hard time finding them. 

All this information about how his Zone works, and yet Batter cannot figure how Dedan himself works. He figures he should, the man never shuts up, but when he does shut up, it confuses him. He’s so loud, his voice announces everything even when he tries to be quiet. He talks about so much, about himself and everything he’s been responsible for, footing around the bush about the other guardians. He blames his caution on the fact he was told to keep him alive, and nothing else; but when his mouth finally shuts, the breathless moments of closeness, Batter always feels like the Guardian feels otherwise. It was obvious from the start almost, while Zacharie would pick up his hand before putting it back on, Dedan trailed his hands when he put them on Batter. Perhaps he just wanted Batt to stay still, either way he could feel the tension in the air, and most importantly the heat that radiates from Dedan’s body strongly. The bigger man was always so angry in public, rigid, but when they were alone he could tell that he got softer, even when touching him he could feel how much he was holding back. The warmth felt good, amazing even, especially after a few hours of not being in the sun. He even woke up next to the Guardian a few times, not even realizing he had gotten that close over night. The stark contrast made him confused, he didn’t know what to do. While they were trapped in those hanging moments of time, Batter felt the inability to pull away from how warm Dedan always was. A natural pull to press himself against what’s warmer than he is, the need to pull from other people’s body heat. 

“HEY! ARE YOU EVEN FUCKING LISTEN TO ME YOU LITTLE SHIT?”  
The angry shout from the Guardian snapper Batter back to reality, eyes drifting back up to him.   
“WHAT THE FUCK WHERE YOU OFF IN YOUR LITTLE HEAD ABOUT? ANY THOUGHTS TO SHARE?”  
Long pause, thick air that almost felt suffocating. Neither talked for a while. 

“...You are naturally very warm.”

“RIGHT. OKAY. THAT'S WHAT YOU GOT? IM WARM? ZACH NEVER SAID YOU WERE THE BRIGHTEST, BUT I GUESS YOU’RE NOT THE WARMEST EITHER IF YOU'RE STUCK UP ON THAT.”  
Dedan reaches over the table, cupping the one side of Batters face gently to let him feel the heat.   
“IF YOU'RE COLD YOU JUST HAVE TO SAY SOMETHING YOU KNOW. IF YOU NEED SOMETHING TO STAY WARM SO BAD WHEN THE SUN IS DOWN, DONT FUCKING HESITATE TO ASK. I RATHER HAVE YOU WARMING YOURSELF UP ON ME THAN FREEZING TO DEATH. MIGHT AS WELL GET YOUR COLD ASS A FUCKING HEAT LAMP IF THIS IS SUCH A PROBLEM.”  
He pressed his hand into Batter's face a little more as he felt it warm up, looking like it might have been a good few shades darker than it's ever been before. The other didn’t respond,just tensed up and slowly pressed his face back into the hand; the both of them yanking away from each other as they heard the door to the kitchen open. Food was on its way, and it was about time. 

Dedan didn’t get Batter anything heavy, just something small that he could try. Pushing the man too much was the last thing he wanted to do, he was treading as lightly as he knew how to. What might be a problem is teaching him how to use the plastic eating sticks all the Elsen’s use. Anything sharp is too nerve wracking for them, so this was the best option; because they don’t use anything that could poke into tough things, the dishes that have been made into cultural staples are all soft, or fall apart a little. Using the sticks can be rather tricky, but you get the hang of it quite quickly when it’s the only thing you can use. Batt learned the basic motions quite fast, watching the Guardian and just mimicking that. 

It felt too silent as they sat there, off in their own heads as they ate. An awkward silence neither one of them knew how to fill this time. So they just sat there, thinking of one another but not saying anything, the muffled sounds of dishes in the background. Batter’s mind was caught up on trying to understand what the other’s intentions were. The pain from the first day has gone away physically, and the fact that Dedan was so caring during the healing process, it was making him think that perhaps he isn’t that bad. Just very, very stressed, and the first time his puppeteer had played this “game,” it was set up against them both. Getting taken down a peg before he could get up on it might be the only way he could actually save this place. Instead of purifying the Guardians, maybe he can change them. Or, more logically, get them to want to change. He can see that he’s calmed Dedan down already, he’s less shouty, even though his voice is just naturally loud. He always acts so tough in public, demanding respect from all his workers, while also obviously trying to not be too harsh on them. Though, he still had his overly- asshole moments. As Batter's mind started to drift to the moments they were alone, how the other was always gentle, but still leaving himself in a general position of power, he couldn’t help but wonder what feelings were being hidden. Even now, he could tell Dedan was relaxed with him, legs being casually relaxed near his side more than what would be normal. He couldn’t imagine what the Guardian might be thinking, why he’s so touchy, but he felt it was worth it to find out, and that he was nearly there to finding out. The air between them was thick with odd feelings, and he knew it wasn’t just him. What Batter really didn’t realize, is that he was in a lot deeper than he realized. 

Before either of them knew it, it was time to get going. With the sun down, outside fell dark, only street lamps from outside to light things up out there. Dedan tipped the workers extra for letting them stay there late, it was only right to do so, he knew how they all hate the dark. Even if they all piss him off, he still does care, he’s done all he knows how to, to make this Zone safe for them while they work. He couldn’t provide a “paradise” like Japhet tried to do, but he did what he could. The workers get their share of the work, especially with the food, so no one is doing anything in vien, he wasn’t THAT cruel. Big and angry? Yes. Complete heartless asshole? No.

The two had to walk to the nearest tram station, they were all automated so no one had to work it at night. With the coming of the spectres, no one dared to go out once the sun went down. After that, if you aren’t inside you have to be ready to encounter one. Dedan never worried about that, he had no reason to, he was the Guardian of this Zone, he could smash those blasted spectres right out of existence if he really wanted to. The streets were empty, the lights inside homes started to turn down for the night, no one slept in the dark. The street lamps lit the sky around the more habited parts of the Zone, making it a few shades lighter than it usually is. The clouds scattered across the sky, along with the crispness of the wind as it blew by gave the walk an almost surreal feeling. It all felt real, the reflections of the lights, the bright colours of everything, even with them dulled, the sights were something to truly behold. They had made something nice out of what little they had, it’s quite a shame it had all fallen apart.

“SO, WHAT DID YOU THINK? THAT’S ONE OF MY FAVOURITE PLACES. THOSE GUYS HAVE BEEN HERE FOR A WHILE, THEY HAD A LOT OF THOSE DECORATIONS IMPORTED FROM THE OTHER ZONES. PAINTS AND PAINTINGS ARE A STAPLE OF ZONE 2- BOOKS TOO, BUT THEY STOPPED PRODUCING THOSE A LONG TIME AGO. ANY BOOKS AROUND NOW ARE RARE AND USUALLY GET HELD IN PERSONAL COLLECTIONS. I DON'T KNOW HOW THEY MAKE ANYTHING THERE, I ONLY KNOW WHAT'S IN THIS ZONE. SPEAKING OF WHICH, THE FOOD. WAS IT OKAY? YOU SEEMED TO ENJOY IT, I WAS HOPING YOU WOULD. THAT'S WHY I TOOK YOU THERE.”  
Dedan broke the silence as they walked, looking down at the small Purifier. He watched the other shrug, not even turning his head as he replied.

“It was okay, yes. I see why you enjoy it there. Very nicely decorated, I will agree. It is clear they have perfected their art. A good job is one you can enjoy, they seem to be happy doing that.”

“SPEAKING OF HAPPY. ARE YOU HAPPY DOING WHAT YOU'RE DOING?”  
A hard hitting question, but an honest one. 

“Does it matter? Are you happy doing what you are doing? Not everyone can be happy with their job, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be happy. Clearly you have something making you happy outside of your job.”  
Batter looked up at Dedan, the slightest smirk to his face as he watched the other huff and looked away. He felt he was starting to catch on, even if he still didn’t quite understand. 

The tram ride home was silent, none of them really having anything to say to the other. Dedan had no idea what to say anymore, Batter clearly understood there was a little more under the surface. It took time to get used to the brat, but he’s gotten attached quite quickly. He was silent, never really said what he was thinking, but when he did he was always as blunt as his bat. He could feel how scared the Purifier was when he first started touching, but at the same time his skin had always been abnormally cold. From the first time he met, he could feel how cold he was. The blood that had made red streaks down the others cheeks were warmer than the skin it sat on, his face was freezing cold. Looking back, it was no wonder he did nothing but leap out at him and bite into his arm. For a man who needs a heat source to keep himself cozy, he had one hell of a jaw grip. The fact that he had gone from shivering at the Guardians touch, to almost leaning into it in the time he did, almost worried him. Was he coming on too strong? Maybe he just got used to the touching and embraced it because of the warmth? Dedan wouldn’t doubt that, he’s watched Batter closely, he loved anything warm, he even seemed to associate temperature with colour. The tracks made the small rail car bump from time to time, ocean waves slamming against the sides of the train from time to time. The two sat close together as the Alma station slowly rolled up, Batt having had scootched over closer. Throwing an arm over him, the taller other grumbled under his breath as they got even closer.   
“WE’RE ALMOST BACK HOME.”  
Dedan looked down at him, gently patting him on the shoulder. Batter just nodded, looking out the window and leaning back in the seat before the tram stopped and they had to get off and make their way to the building they stayed in. 

The Guardian held Batter’s hand as they made their way through the confusing maze, to the room they were sharing for now. It was a bit cool in there, but warmer than outside, so Batt didn’t mind, plus the blankets were soft. As he laid down on the bed, Dedan sat beside him, removing his coat and tossing at a dresser before laying back and groaning. They had a brief moment to relax themselves before anyone did anything, taking in the quiet of the room and the comfort of the mattress. The first one to act was Dedan, who put his hand on Batter’s face again, feeling for how cold it was. The small man jolted a little, but pressed his whole face into the hand, turning to face his roommate.  
“YOU’RE ALREADY FREEZING.”  
Dedan reached another hand over, grabbing onto Batt’s leg and swinging him into his lap carefully, palm sliding down onto his thigh. The small man tensed up as his thigh was gripped before slowly relaxing into the spot.

“And you’re touching me in sensitive areas already.”  
Batter grabbed Dedan's wrist, pushing his hand up towards his crotch slowly, keeping an eye on his face from under his cap.  
“Don’t think I don’t notice, it’s what i’ve been trying to figure out this whole time. You were so aggressive when we first met, but you touched me strangely, it was different from Zach. He’s more.. Hm. He does a lot less touching than you do, but you’re only touchy when we are alone. Is there something in me you like? What’s got your attention? It has to be something, you drag your hands across me, don’t think I don’t pay attention to that. Your fingers always barely brush by here. Is there something you’re looking for Dedan?”  
The Guardian was caught off guard, Batter’s bluntness wasn’t uncharacteristic, though he didn’t think this would happen so soon. Perhaps he was a little too forward? Or maybe he just got carried away with the touchy-feely stuff? 

“I- UH.”  
For once he had to think about what came out of his mouth before he said it. Hiding the truth will do no good, so the only way is to be blunt right back, however well that might work. This is for sure NOT what he was supposed to do with Batter, very much not what he should do.   
“YES. YOU’RE MORE OBSERVANT THAN I THOUGHT, GUESS ALL THAT TOUCHING IS VERY BLUNT, ISN’T IT? I’M STILL SURPRISED YOU CAUGHT ON SO SOON.”  
He took his hand away from Batter’s lower area and used it to slip his shirts out from under his belt, keeping his eyes on the Purifier as he gently rubbed his warming face on the other hand.  
“YOU MAY BE A LITTLE SHIT, BUT.. YES, I'VE HAD IDEAS IN MIND SINCE I LAID EYES ON YOU. YOU MAY BE A FUCKING MORON, BUT YOU’RE AN ATRACTIVE MORON AND THAT’S SADLY MY FUCKING TYPE. I WOULD KEEP GOING, BUT I DON’T TO. ”  
He slipped a hand under the shirts, rubbing at his bare skin, feeling the other press against his hand down there as well. He could feel the shudders of his buddy as he gripped at him, the air getting thick with odd tension.

“Lucky me then, huh?”  
Batter wiggled himself into Dedan’s lap more, bringing himself closer to feel the larger man's almost intoxicating body heat. He shivered as the other slid his hand under his pants once more, fingers creeping under his undergarments. He could tell now that it wasn’t to harm that Dedan wanted to do to him, but something else, something he had wanted for a long while, whatever it could be. He was this far, he could tell that whatever was hiding was so close. He just about had it.  
“Why don’t you be honest with me and what you want, I can tell whatever it is wont hurt, you wouldn’t do that to me.”  
He moved the guardians hand down to his neck slowly, proving his point when Dedan just grabbed onto Batter’s shoulder’s, the other hand feeling around down under, rubbing at some places, making him twitch and jerk uncontrollably at times.

“YOU WANT HONESTY? ALRIGHT, YOU’LL GET YOUR FUCKING HONESTY. I DIDN’T WANT TO DO ANYTHING BEFORE BECAUSE I WASN’T SURE I COULD DO WHAT I WANTED, BUT…”  
As Dedan felt around, finding what he was looking for as his fingers slipped inside a little, causing Batter to jolt and straighten his back, a small “ah,” coming from him, hands instantly on the Guardians bare chest.  
“THIS, IS WHAT I WANT.”  
He nervously grumbled, feeling around more as Batter squirmed around a little. The two were different not just in personality it seemed, but also in the fact that while Dedan bore his parts on the outside, he could feel that Batter’s were contained inside. Although he was completely male appearing, the Guardian felt that he wasn’t all male down there right away, but he didn’t have a problem with that, Elsens were physically incapable of reproducing, so, because the Purifier appeared to be closely related, he didn’t have any fear about much. Not that something like that has ever happened, no one in this world can make another being like that. Nonetheless, he wasn’t ready to push things anymore than he had, so he stayed in his lane, messing around down there with his fingers. 

Batter felt his body get very warm, very quickly as Dedan played around, rubbing and feeling at what he could down there, causing Batt to wiggle himself on him quite a bit. Trying to make no other noise but soft gasps, he bit his lip and placed his head on the others chest, squeezing his legs against Dedan’s. He got his honest answer, though it wasn’t what he was expecting. The overwhelming new feelings felt strangely nice, his body jolting from time to time still, the other holding back even though he could tell the other seemed to be enjoying it.

“Ah-”  
He had to take a breath before speaking, Dedan constantly rubbing and poking at a spot he found made the Purifier move around a lot.  
“I know Zach told me he wanted us to rub off on each other, but I do not think he meant that literally.”  
He weakly chuckled under his breath, grunting as he leaned into the other more, groaning.  
“I suppose it’s his fault for not being more specific, huh?”

“I SUPPOSE IT FUCKING IS, YEAH.”  
Dedan slid his hand away, wiping his fingers off on the inside of Batter’s underwear, sneering under his breath.  
“BUT I’M NOT GOING TO DO THAT TO YOU SO FUCKING SOON. NOT BEFORE YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU’RE FUCKING GETTING INTO. I DON’T WANT TO MAKE THINGS AWKWARD WITH YOU.”

“...Do you know what you were just doing? I don’t think you could make things more awkward than that if I found that awkward.”  
The small man grumbled to himself and slid back over to his side of the bed, unhappy.  
“But whatever, if you aren’t ready to admit whatever emotions you have to yourself yet, I can wait.”  
He crossed his arms, shrugging at the Guardian. Dedan growled at Batter, grabbing him and dragging him into his lap once more, wrapping him up in his arms and pressing him to his body to make a point

“YOU WANT ME TO ADMIT MY EMOTIONS HUH? I THINK YOU'RE THE ONE WHO NEEDS TO ADMIT SOME THINGS FIRST. I FEEL YOU LEANING INTO ME ALL THE TIME, I KNOW YOU LIKE THE HEAT, AND IM FUCKING FULL OF IT. SO IS IT ME WHO NEEDS TO ADMIT SOMETHING, OR YOU? I'VE BEEN TALKING THIS WHOLE TIME AND YOU BARELY SAID ANYTHING, I THINK YOU NEED TO ADMIT IF YOU LIKE THIS OR NOT.”  
He wrestled with the Purifier, the short man wriggling around and hissing at his huge friend. Eventually they stopped, low, guttural sounds coming from Batters chest, sort of like a rumbling frequency of a crocodile. With a leg swung over one of Dedan’s arms, and arm wrapped behind his neck, Batter was put in a very awkward, but warm position. His face felt like it was hogging all the warmth, it burning from so much close contact. The Guardian was always so warm, he often got heated just thinking about it, though he didn’t understand why. Nonetheless, he got as comfortable as he could, settling into the other.   
“SEE? THIS ISNT SO FUCKING BAD, STOP THROWING FITS BECAUSE YOURE TOO SCARED TO DAMAGE YOUR EGO. IF YOU LIKE SOMETHING, FUCKING ASK FOR IT. THATS ALL IT TAKES, CHANCES ARE SOMEONE MIGHT HELP YOU IF YOU WANT SOMETHING. I KNOW I WILL.”  
Dedan cuddled the flustered man into himself, feeling the rumble of the sound he was giving off. Batter just exhaled, accepting his new fate. 

“Okay then, I’ll play along with this. Yes, you are very warm and I take a particular liking to that. If it’s alright with you, I appreciate being warmed up when I’m cold. Which you seem to be perfect at-“  
He jolted as he was cut off, tensing up for a second. 

“GOD, YOU FUCKING TALK LIKE YOURE SCARED TO DEMAND SHIT. TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT LIKE YOU FUCKING MEAN IT, DIPSHIT.”

“Okay. I want you to stop calling me stupid, I don’t like it.”

“THERE WE FUCKING GO, THATS A GREAT START. YOU MAY BE BLUNT, BUT I KNOW WHEN YOU'RE DANCING AROUND SOMETHING. YOU JUST STEP OUT OF THE WAY INSTEAD OF ADDRESSING IT HEAD ON”  
The horrible screeching of the Guardians voice wasn’t pleasant like his body heat, but the feeling Batt got when he rubbed his head (or rubbed him anywhere in general), made it worth it. 

“Will you stop though?”

“OF-FUCKING-COURSE. I RESPECT YOU, I WOULDN'T DO THAT TO YOU.”  
Dedan repositioned Batter so he was more comfortable, holding him firmly to himself. Neither man seemed too uncomfortable with this, Batter having another source of heat, and Dedan having another being to just be even the slightest intimate with. As both men got comfortable, the tiredness and the soreness got to them now that they were relaxed and still, sleep would take hold of them both. 

The second day of work was harder than the first. The sun was particularly warm that day, and clouds weren’t around. Everything was horribly hot, even for Batter. Dedan said that this meant a Storm was coming again soon, it was normal around this time, as it gets a long rainy season. He said it was because of the boiling sea, and once the rainy season is over that’s when they go to collect the chunks that form at the bottom. Elsens are trained to dive and collect them for years before they can even be brave enough to do it. Today the two men had to clear a few factories. They were small, and weren’t used in large scale production. They only produced what the Zone needed, never more. Dedan said that they could clear at least two today, so they were going to do the water and meat processing plants. They started with the water, as one sector of the city had run out in the morning and he had to get it running again. Water on a day like this was very important, but neither of them expected just how infested the plant would be. It felt like it should have been dark by the time they came out of there, practically every surface being touched by the disgusting innards of spectres. The heat of mid-day made the factory smell of rotting flesh, even Dedan could barely stomach it once they were done. He would have to send workers in to clean it up before it could start up. 

With it already being noon, the tiresome work, combined with the ungodly heat, they both were more than ready for a break. Work still had to be done though, so Batter was sent to cool off in a nearby shop, Dedan working to get the water plant up and going as soon as possible. The water plant also helped power the city. Recently, they had to branch out to other sources of power, like wind and solar, but those could only power the Zone so much. It was nearly for back up, so they could have more time to fix the issue. This also gave Batter more time to chill out at the little shop, and look at what it was selling. For the most part, it seemed to be a store for fake books, bookshelves, and other such items. One particular shelf caught his eye, as the store owner had decorated it with what looked to be lively little villages throughout the shelf. It was deeply detailed, small lights for street lamps, signs that could swing, there were even what looked to be plants growing in between the cracks of the stone pathways. Tiny doors built into the fake story books to make it look like an entrance into it, the back where the books touch having had miniature arcs, using lights and white paint to make it appear as if there truly was an exit there. Each display thematically different from the last, but still tying together. Miniature Elsens, humanoid fantasy creatures, and other animals donned the tiny scenes, all dressed and accessorized to fit the different get ups. There was even a small cattle attached to a small wagon carrying a load of foods, some had fallen out onto the street, tiny little people picking up the small colourful fruits. It was all very beautiful, and Batter couldn’t even imagine how long this might have taken. 

“Uh- Hello-!”  
A small, anxious voice from behind the fixated puppet startled him back into the real world, making him visibly jump. Behind him was the owner, a short Elsen that looked like he tended to dress nicer than most of his peers. Adorning a stained painting apron, he waved at Batter slowly.   
“Do you need help finding anything or uh- are you just looking?”

“I am just looking.”  
Clearing his throat, Batter pushed his hat down to shade his face more as he spoke again.   
“Your displays are very nice, they must have taken a long time. I admire the dedication to an art so small, it pays off very nicely.”

“Oh- ye-yes! Yes- it pays off very- very uh. Very well indeed. This is uh- this is my hobby, and uhm. And since I uh- I opened up here, I’ve gotten a uh- a lot more folks into it as well. It’s uh- it’s a very nice house decoration, and it’s something you can work on for a while. I’ve-I’ve even had a few restaurants do something like this- I think uh- I think it’s sort of uhm. I think it’s sort of neat, really. I’m uh- I’m glad you like it! That’s uh- that’s the first display everyone uh- likes to look at. That uh- that took me four years bel-believe it or not, haha.”  
The tiny man nervously chuckled, clasping his hands together with a big, weak smile. He turned around and pointed at another bookshelf, one next to the check-out counter.   
“That- uh- that one right uhm. Right there? I uh… I’m working on that one now- I uh- I’m not done that one yet, only uh, only got the first row done. Even though it’s my passion- I uh. I do run out of ideas- but that’s uh- that's okay! I’m always getting new ideas eventually so uh- that’s cool.”

“Very cool, yes.”  
Batter walked over to the other shelf, looking at the first row. One book seemed to be hollowed out practically, the spine of it being used to simulate curved windows with a seat by them. Tiny humanoids sat at each window, all of them doing something different and somehow looking completely unlike one another in personality. All of it had such a charm to it, he was amused.   
“You work on these all day?”  
He looked at the Elsen, who was now behind the counter, leaning on it. 

“Yes! It’s uh- it’s my uhm- my job! After Dedan decided that having stores like this for the permanent, and temporary residents would be better for mental health- and I uh- I agree! It’s- it’s very nice and I uh. I really enjoy being able to run my hobby as my lifestyle. It’s uh- it’s very relaxing. I uh- I even do it in my uhm- my personal time. I really enjoy making the small scenes wherever I can uh- fit them, but I find that uh- bookshelves are the uh- the most fun. We all sort of just- run these for a uh- a living. Dedan says that this all uh- creates culture or uh- or something… I don’t uh- I don’t disagree with him! A lot of uh- people from Zone 2 settled down here to have our own shops- it uh- helped bring more arts over here. It uh- wasn’t common before really.”  
Going into the back for a second, the man brought out a little tiny canvas, a scaled down picture carefully painted onto it. Batter was amazed at how much detail could be fit on it.   
“My uh- my friend who has the paint store just across the uh- the street- he painted this for me. It’s for something personal, but I uh. I find it uhm. Sweet of him. He’s encouraged a lot of people to uh- take up his hobby as well. In uh- in my opinion? Without things like this, I uh. I think everyone would just go crazy working themselves to death. It’s okay to work, but not having anything outside of that is uh. Unfulfilling at best- same thing the uh- the other way around as uhm. As well.”

“I see. Well, this has been quite enlightening, your work is very well done. You should be proud of what you have done. This seems like time well spent if you are enjoying it.”  
Batter looked around, attention starting to turn elsewhere.   
“I have to wait for someone here, so I hope you don’t mind me looking around some more.”

“Oh- n-no! Of course not- I uh. I don’t mind at all- please, look all uh- look all you want.”  
The Elsen gave an apologetic wave as he slunk back off into the back to continue his work, leaving the Purifier to gaze about more. 

It had to be at least an hour before the water plant was up and running, most of that time spent cleaning the place so nothing was contaminated. When Dedan came into the store looking for Batter, he had to sigh a loud sigh of relief at how much cooler in here was compared to out there. He saw Batter squatting by a bookshelf, fixated on it. One could assume he hadn’t moved since he got in that position, something he did often. The puppet didn’t seem to notice the Guardian right away, so Dedan squatted next to him, putting a hand on his back and feeling him jump and somehow shudder at the same time.   
“SEE SOMETHING INTERESTING?”

“Ah- yes. I suppose so. I just appreciate the craftsmanship that had to go into these. They look very nice.”  
Batt looked up at Dedan, standing up with him. 

“YEAH, I GUESS THAT WOULD TAKE A LOT OF WORK, WOULDN'T IT? WE HAVE TO GET MOVING THOUGH, I WASTED ENOUGH TIME AS IT IS. IF WE GET GOING NOW, WE MIGHT BE LUCKY AND FINISH BEFORE DARK.”  
He pushed Batter towards the door gently as he moved towards it himself, holding the door for the other man.  
“WE COULD STOP FOR A BITE, BUT I HONESTLY RATHER GET THIS DONE FIRST, I CAN BET YOU’D AGREE WITH ME.”

“Of course. I don’t want to be out here any longer than you do. It is very nice, but I dislike how many beings I’m surrounded by.”

“YEAH, YOU GET USED TO THAT, DON'T THINK TOO HARD ABOUT IT. THEY ARE MORE SCARED OF YOU THAN YOU ARE THEM, IF ANYONE GIVES YOU TROUBLE JUST ACT A LITTLE OFF AND THEY WILL RUN FOR THE HILLS. JUST DON'T OVER DO IT, YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU SCARE ONE TO DEATH. ALMOST QUITE LITERALLY.”  
Dedan’s laugh was loud, screechy like his voice. To be fair, Batter found many things about him to be loud. It wasn’t so bad once you got used to it. 

“Yes, I rather not have to bash their heads in. I don’t think that would feel very nice for either of us involved. Mostly them though, of course.”  
Humour? None. Very forward and literal? Yes. 

The second factory already smelled of death when they got in. The Elsens that work there always wear masks that help with the smell, the only use of sugar in the Zone Dedan has ever allowed, though it was such a small amount that all it did was block you from smelling anything but sweet, sometimes even when you take it off. The workers would complain of it being a problem, but none of them really cared, it seemed the need to block out the smell was too much. It also helped keep anything from spreading too quickly if it ever were to arise. Now because the water plant was open, the factory had time to cool down, but it had to be purified before the workers could go back. The masks the workers had to wear weren’t supposed to be used in conditions the two were in. They don’t recommend heavy breathing in the face masks, as it might cause you to inhale too many of the sugar fumes. Batter had to wear one as the smell was very strong to him, and he found that he was having quite the time trying to stomach it. Lucky, and a little unlucky, for the two exhausted men, although the weather got a lot warmer and more  
Humid before it cooled down, rain was here in a few hours to cool everything down. Unfortunately, they were done by that time, this factory having a lot less spectres in it. This one wouldn’t require his help to get up and running, with the cleaning crew and the Elsens going back to work, it should be fine now. Even though they would not really need as much help, Batter stood outside as Dedan had to help things along at first, getting everyone started. 

The clouds blanketing the sky caused everything to get dark enough for the street lights to come on again, lighting up the drops of water as they fell down onto the man-made ground. Containers often sat outside to collect the rainwater, though Batter wasn’t quite sure why, but it had to be important because they even have strange piping that collects it from the roof, his puppeteer had to tell him the word was probably “gutters,” those are gutters. Still, he found it strange, but not as strange as the hand crafted beauty of the society Dedan had managed to create. He could only wonder what the other zones were like, if not spread out, but still populated enough. You wouldn’t find the same sort of things on each side of the massive zone, and he quite enjoyed that. The diversity of things while still somehow looking similar on the outside was nice. Sort of like stepping from one world to another, it was entertaining, and he was actually sort of excited to see what Dedan might show him next. The Zone was nice, a place one could stay and enjoy for a while, if not being content to live there their whole lives.

It couldn’t have been the less smoke able to be inhaled through the mask that made his head feel an almost lightness to it, a funny tingle that he could feel through his head, even in his throat. To be fair, he had been standing outside trying to catch his breath, totally forgetting to remove the mask, something probably not the best to do. Batter should have taken the mask off, but he could tell that it was perhaps a little too late for that, if he inhaled something in the mask he shouldn’t have, then it’s already in his system clearly. That being said, having something on your face that you’re not allowed to breathe in too hard isn’t the best idea. A really poor choice, not the best combination, at all. Perhaps the worst combination, like mouthwash that kills you if you drink even the smallest amount of it. Not the safest product to be used, but he isn’t the Guardian around here, so he can’t say much. It’s not like he felt out of breath, he could breathe just fine, but the pungent smell of the face cover seemed to have some side effects with the strong fumes.

“WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING WITH THAT ON?”  
Dedan came up from behind him, tearing the mask off and tossing it to the ground.  
“I FUCKING TOLD YOU NOT TO BREATH SO MUCH IN THOSE, DID YOU JUST FUCKING FORGET ABOUT IT? FUCKING HOW?”

“Not a fan of the idea of something on my face I’m not supposed to inhale too hard in, if I’m honest.”  
Batter grumbled lowly as the large Guardian man grabbed his chin and tugged it up to stare him in the face, squinting. The puppets face was dark from being warm, but to be fair the two were just doing extensive physical labor. It should be fine, everything should be okay.

“I KNOW, IT’S FUCKING STUPID, BUT IT’S THE ONLY SCENT STRONG ENOUGH FOR THIS LINE OF WORK. IT COMPLETELY BLOCKS OUT THE ROTTEN SMELL, SOMETIMES EVEN FOR HOURS AFTER. IT’S NOT BAD FOR YOU, BUT IT’S NOT LIKE YOU WANT TO BE HUFFING IT. YOU MIGHT FEEL A LITTLE STRANGE, BUT JUST. ACT NORMAL. SO JUST BE QUIET AND SHUT THE FUCK UP. NOW, DO YOU WANT TO GO EAT OUT AGAIN?”  
Taking his hand away from Batt, Dedan crossed his arms and eased up, watching the other shrug.

“Sure, I don’t mind. Not like we have much to do anyways now that the job is done for the day.”

“THEN IT’S FUCKING SETTLED. LETS GO.”  
With a gentle tug of Batter’s wrist, the two were off once more. Their walks were usually always silent, both of them only looking at each other when the other wasn’t looking, or thought they weren’t looking. The Purifier often caught his taller friend glancing at him with that usual squint, staring right back at him from under the trusty shade of his cap. He could tell he was thinking something, but what? Perhaps knowing might take away from the mystery that he provides, the wonder of what’s going to happen next with him. Getting used to the fact he wasn’t there to harm him took time, but once Batter got over that, he quickly fell into liking the man he’s been stuck with. Maybe it’s just his need to get along with him until he’s set free, but either way he might as well make it worth his time. Both of them seem to have the same mindset. Unsure of what the other wants, but knowing for sure they rather see whatever this is through just in case it never popped up again. Not knowing what could happen was a little frightening to him, though it’s not like he really had much control over anything happening so far. Oddly, the safest place he feels vulnerable in had to be with Dedan, although he was much bigger and could hurt him easily if he wanted, but he never did hurt him, and perhaps that is why he feels so safe, safe enough to just watch him when he decided he wanted to feel around so much. He could have killed him so easily, but he had never even bothered trying. It was always so gentle, so calculated and purposeful, even if he seemed to just reach at whatever he could get his hands on. Out in public is for sure not the place for such thoughts, especially not when walking beside the man you are pondering so hard about. 

“It is raining, maybe we shouldn’t be out.”  
Batter looked up at Dedan, who seemed to be getting just as annoyed at the rain as he was.   
“As much as seeing another place seems fun, we both had a long day. Also, my head feels fuzzy and I want to lay down. It at least sit.”

“I FUCKING TOLD YOU TO BE CAREFUL. I HATE TO TELL YOU WHAT THE STUFF WE USE TO MAKE IT SMELL IS- BUT. YOU SHOULD BE FINE. WE ARE A FEW MINUTES AWAY FROM A TRAM STATION, IT WOULD BE BUSY AROUND THIS TIME, BUT WE CAN GO THERE NOW IF YOU THINK YOU CAN MAKE IT.”  
Putting a hand on his shoulders, Dedan looking at Batter with a sort of worried look. He was never one to complain, even if it was just a little. This is one of the first times he actually heard him want a break. 

“Ah, yes. I can make it there. I just rather be back somewhere that’s not out here at the moment.”  
The Puppet had to lean on Dedan a little when he felt the hand, finding it unusually warmer than usual. Then again, that could just be him. Maybe it’s all from the strong scent of sugar that’s clouding everything else. All he could smell was sweet, it was a little sickening actually. The fact that it was the only thing his nose would pick up felt horrible. If he could, he would bury his face in Dedan and hope that he could smell something else, anything else, even if it was just a disgusting sweat smell. It’s better than the deafening loudness of this one, anything was. Even the packed tram car didn’t have anything strong enough to overpower it in the slightest. Nothing seemed to work at the moment, it all was just a sickening taste and smell of sugar. Sitting right next to Dedan, Batter tried to casually shove his face into him, not really doing well at the casual part. The Guardian had his back, having a “casual” arm around him, mostly just trying to keep him from shaking too much with the bumpy ride of the train. The ride would have to take a while, having to stop basically everywhere before hitting Alma, but to be fair, Alma was mostly his office space, even if it was closer to the butchering part of Damien than any other area of Zone 1. 

The looks the two got were not so much those of judgement, but more so those of curiosity and wonder. Dedan, THE Guardian Of Zone 1? Being outwardly affectionate with someone? It was completely unlike the new him, but what could they know? All he does is shout and get mad, because he’s the head of it all. Perhaps the stranger was what he needed to calm down, after all he had been clearing more spectres than he ever has before, so this new man is for sure a strange blessing. This very tired, irritated man who looks like he either has something stuck in his nose, or that spot just really smells nice. The hushed whispers in the car made the two nervous, unsettled, almost uncomfortable. Batter would care more if he had a reason to keep up appearances, but he didn’t really have one, so something odd could happen and he probably wouldn’t think too much about it. By the time they had the train to themselves, Batter was almost snoozing right where he was, head planted straight into Dedan’s coat. Dedan had no intention of waking the other, just softly adjusting his position so he was more comfy. It wasn’t the movement that woke Batter up, rather than the sudden ability to start to smell- and with his face planted where it was, even with the sweet-ness still sickening, it was enough to jolt him into almost-full consciousness. 

“Thank goodness I can smell again-“  
The Purifier nuzzled his face into the other man more, happy that it was no longer just one horrible scent. 

“SO THAT'S WHY YOU WERE DOING THAT, HUH? I TOLD YOU NOT TO BREATHE TOO HARD, BUT DID YOU FUCKING LISTEN?”  
He grumbled, scooping the other between his legs, pressing their heads together.   
“NOT THAT I FUCKING BLAME YOU, IT MUST BE TIRING TO BE DOING ALL THIS WORK RIGHT OFF THE BAT. IT GETS EASIER THOUGH, I PROMISE. IT ALL GETS EASIER.”  
They sat there for a good moment, taking in the private moment while they could. 

“Yes, it is tiring. I think I might just want to go straight to sleep.”

“NO, I'LL MAKE YOU SOMETHING BEFORE HAND. YOU'RE NOT GOING TO BED BEFORE THAT, OKAY?”

“Okay.”  
Batter got comfortable in Dedan’s lap, no plan on moving any time soon. The ride back was peaceful, quiet. No need to say anything, just enjoying a moment before it might be gone.


	6. The Days Go By

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A week until Zacharie returns, and Batter is excited to see him again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter tw: food mentions

Cleaning up the spectres became a quick job as the days went by and the two learned how to work together better. Though, after it was all said and done, they both had about a week until the merchant would be coming back. Batter often wondered how he was doing, hoping that he was safe and coming back soon. His time with the Zone 1 Guardian has been well spent, they got a lot done much faster than he could have imagined, not that he was complaining. Now that the workload on Dedan is a lot lighter, he can focus on paperwork again while Batter patrols the Zone for any more spectres. It wasn’t a bad setup, The Purifier found it quite nice to be able to freely roam around now, it was freeing to be able to do this alone again. He had nothing against the Guardian, the two were getting along really well actually, but alone time is always nice. Compared to Dedan, all the elsens are a lot more quiet, too nervous to even speak too loud. It wasn’t hard to tell they probably all over thought things, talking to others doesn’t seem to be their thing. Even in places one might expect a lot of talking, it's mostly nothing but hushed murmurs and mumbled whispers.

Everything in this Zone is mostly quiet, the only sounds being the ambience of the sea and wind, along with the factory and cattle sounds in some areas. The busy business streets the cow-hiway had created mostly sounded like the clopping of hooves, the noise of Elsens walking to and fro, and the sounds of distant birds if the sector was near docks. It’s all quite peaceful, Batter found himself often admiring the simple things in the zones, as they all helped to create a blissful, quiet, urban aura to the whole Zone. The smell wasn’t as pleasant, even though the air one breathes here is smoke, the smell of it isn’t anything very nice. Nor is the stench the bovine create when they are used to pull things across some of the streets in the zone. To be fair, that’s exactly what they are for, paths so the Elsen don't have to worry about being trampled, even crossing it seems to make them quite nervous, Batter has rarely ever seen one really attempt to J-walk, even though the cows aren’t even that fast. Though, the buildings and sometimes right next to them smelled amazing. Diners by the ocean tended to smell of fish, as most food vendors there, if not all, sold fish. The cooked smell was nice, but something about it raw just didn’t sit right with him. The restaurant there had a lot more non-meat items on their menus, as most of them were run by people brought in from Zone 2, so many of the foods came with them, with the bonus of the rich fishing culture the docks have created with them. Zone 2 had more room for practicing the cultivation of plants with what little they had. That’s why those ingredients were always local to there, just like how the areas surrounding just about anything to do with cattle had a lot more beef, but even they had their different styles. Places by the barns often had lots of closed-in places that sold very saucy foods, or just soups and stews. Habitated zones by pastures tended to use more spices and had a lot more breads, and bread like foods. Everything near the meat factories mainly served food that had tougher meat and a lot more fats and oils, the streets tended to smell of nothing BUT fatty oils. Every part of the Zone had its own culture, you could sometimes find things common in one part in others, but they were scattered out and were usually attractions for Elsens who never really left their area, or who couldn’t travel often.

Perhaps Batter’s favourite place in the Zone, might have to be the meat fountains of Alma. Not because he’s always there after a long day of work and gets to relax with Dedan, but because it looks quite pretty in the morning, and the shade from the tall buildings around him help keep things dark enough to look at the sky for himself. The sound of meat shloshing around isn’t something he would love to hear all the time, but it’s okay he supposes; the stench of the rivers was another story. Right in the morning was always the best to him, not doing anything just yet, and you can get that first stretch in. Well, if he’s not being crushed under his roommate that is. As the two got closer, emotional tensions tended to spike quickly, both of the men having extreme personalities didn’t quite help. Dedan was always loud, even if he tried to be silent, his voice was just naturally too loud. Batter often had to speak up, because he took after the residents a bit and talked a lot more softly, he found it helped ease their anxiety when around him. Even through their differences, both of them had found ways to silently enjoy the time together, morning just meant there was a little window of time to be close before its time to go back to work. Everything had gone from being awkward strangers, to awkward closeness. Going from waking up on seperate sides of the bed, to being woken up because he's being held a little too closely; though again, not like he is really complaining. It’s much better to wake up to being very warm, than waking up very cold for him. Dedan was always the only warm thing first thing in the morning, everything else chilled overnight. Even outside was cold as the sun started to come up over the horizon, the Guardian would take him out there in the morning, and they would both sit out somewhere in a sunbeam until Batter was warm enough. Usually it meant going on a Pedalo, but the spectres in the rivers of flesh didn’t really like to be out that early. Those mornings were always quiet, they got into the routine so much that neither bothered to really speak until Batter said he was warm enough now. The feeling of being huddled up on Dedan’s lap on those cold mornings had been ingrained in him at this point, a lot of feelings had. Funny how a week could feel so long when you’re with someone that can make a moment feel like it lasts nearly forever, suspended in time. Perhaps Zach was like that as well, but he hadn’t been around him enough to really know. He really missed Zacharie, this outcome was a little upsetting, but at least he isn’t fighting against Dedan so he could just survive. 

Zacharie and Dedan both felt different, yet still similar in how Batter felt about them. Zacharie was an instant connection, a homely feeling, a safe feeling. He felt comfortable to be around right away, though Batter could chock it up to how Zach saved him. Dedan felt safe as well, but he had to earn that. He took the time to try to foster a connection and not go too far too fast. Batter actually knows that the Guardian can, And will protect him if he gets in over his head, he’s constantly done it in battle. They were both different people who gave him different feelings, but if he had to choose between them, he doesn’t think he could. As unreasonable as that sounds to himself, Batter would have to refuse to choose. They are both nice, even if he doesn’t know Zacharie that well, he had an instant connection to the man, and he won’t really question that. Maybe he will get to know Zach more once he comes back, he does know he will have things to tell him about what happened. For now, things are still happening, so he doesn’t have to think about that just yet. Dedan and him still have time left, and a lot to do still, even at the end of the day. 

Late at night was perhaps the second best time. Winding down after a full day on your feet, beating spectres over the head, are other great feelings. The crunches they made as the bat hit them at full force was like music to his ears. Their mutated screams as the bat shattered their insides, it was cruel, but it’s better the spectres than him. Even if he was always sore after his battles, riding the tram back “home” after the sun had set is a nice sight and made it worth all the while. The sky turns dark, and even though he gets very cold, very quickly because of the lack of sun, they are alone in the tram car, so Dedan would always sit right next to him and let Batter soak up his natural body heat. That was one of the complimentary things about them, he liked it. At night, it might be cold, but he could actually see without it being painful. The soft light from moons that could barely pierce the dense atmosphere, and the lights in the car were the only lights around, the rest was dark. The vast ocean of plastic faded into the shadows rather quickly, but the light inside the tram was reflected off the water next to them, a pretty shimmer to it. 

Batter could remember one recent night on the tram as if it was yesterday still. The cloudy sky was thinner than usual, and the moons were the closest they would be for a while, so everything was brighter than the other nights before, but it was also a lot colder. He couldn’t help but visibly shiver as the Zone cooled, it was just that chilly that night. The wind was pretty strong as well, nothing like a howl, but a decent whistle, something that would make your face flush after a while, except Batter didn’t work that way. It made him feel super sluggish, tired even. By the time the train arrived, he felt like he was ready to go to bed right there. Batt had always underestimated how much Dedan actually paid attention, it often surprised him a lot. The lights inside the car lit up when the doors slid open, a loud hydraulic sigh as they settled their new position. It wasn’t heated inside, so everything was cold, especially the leather seats. The Purifier didn’t even get a chance to sit down, the Guardian scooped him up, and into his lap the second he sat down, squinting at Batter, a sort of “don’t say a word,” kind of glare. If Batt had more energy, he would have tried to fight it to some degree, but being warm is more important than an ego, especially with how freezing he felt. The reflections on the water were brighter tonight, the ones of the moons could be seen a lot easier as well. It would be beautiful if Batter wasn’t so cold, but lucky for him Dedan always has more than enough heat to go around. The ride was relaxing, quiet as well, Batter was so zoned out as he was trying to retain body heat, that he didn’t realize the Guardian was gently rubbing his head under his hat. One would think he would notice, but he was too sluggish to really care much that night, only about a few things he spaced out on. 

Dedan moved his hand down from Batter's head, to around his face, cupping it and tilting it up to look at him. The smaller man's face was cold, flushed but still very, very cold. It worried Dedan a bit, he was trying to keep him warm, but he still seemed very cold. With how reptile-like Batt is, he didn’t want him getting too cold. The concerned Guardian spaced out on the others face, idly thumbing at it, only coming back around when he felt Batter shove his face into the palm, mumbling. 

“Extra cold tonight, isn’t it?”  
Batter rubbed his face on Dedan’s palm, an ever so quiet grunt coming from him. His hands were on the other, helping to push it into his face. 

“YEAH, IT'S NOT USUALLY LIKE THIS. IT HAPPENS A LOT ON THE REALLY HOT DAYS IN THE SUMMERTIME. IT GETS HOT, THEN REALLY FUCKING COLD. I'M SURPRISED YOU'RE STILL AWAKE.”  
The Guardian firmly gripped at Batter’s face, gently bumping his head on the others and grumbling.   
“THIS IS THE COLDEST IT WILL GET FOR A WHILE, DON'T WORRY. IT ALWAYS GETS COLDER THE CLOSER THOSE MOONS GET, NO FUCKING IDEA WHY. I JUST RUN THIS ZONE, NOTHING ELSE. THERE'S SHIT I WISH I KNEW.”

“Like what to do with Japhet?”  
Batter called the attention to a new topic, one that they have been avoiding. Dedan made a screechy grumble as he sighed, sounding annoyed.

“YEAH, I KNOW. I JUST DON’T KNOW WHAT THE FUCK TO SAY, ITS BEEN SO FUCKING LONG SINCE WE’VE SEEN EACH OTHER. I DON'T THINK HE HAS SHOWN HIS UGLY BEAK AROUND LATELY, THE IMPORTED WORKERS DON'T REALLY TALK ABOUT HIM- THEY ALSO DON'T HAVE ANYTHING TO SAY WHEN YOU ASK ABOUT HIM. HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO FUCKING TALK TO THE THICK SKULLED MORON? HE DOESN'T LISTEN TO A FUCKING WORD YOU SAY!!!!!! IT’S JUST SO FUCKING FRUSTRATING!!”  
He looked and sounded beyond annoyed. Whatever had happened to make him and his friends drift apart must have been bad, but Batter had no clue what could have happened. Perhaps stress all piling up on them? It could be a lot, but he didn’t want to ask, he didn’t really have the energy anyways, his whole body was cold still, but Dedan really helped keep him from getting too cold. His body heat always felt slightly intoxicating, it made his chest feel an odd tightness to it, the closer he was to the man, the harder he found it to speak, a lump in this throat almost; especially when he would grab his face.

“Maybe just show up at the Zone first. You have a lot of time to make up for, I’m sure it’ll be okay. You can’t plan out the conversation in your head, you just have to be ready to beat some sense into an old friend.”  
Batter exhaled, a low, sort of grumbling pur coming from him as he rubbed his face on the Guardians palm some more.   
“You won’t be alone, I’ll come with you, you can’t stop me, but things will be fine. If you can convince Japhet to stop being- well, you know how he is better than I do. We just need him to confront your last friend, because you won’t. That’s all we need, because if you three can work together again, maybe things won’t be so bad. You just need to get the ball rolling.”  
Shuffling closer to Dedan, he let out another growl-like pur as the other wrapped his arms around him and firmly hugged Batter to himself, their faces being brought closer together in an odd way. Being this close certainly was helping with his issue of being cold, especially when Dedan wrapped his coat around him as well before resuming he tight hold. 

“I KNOW THAT, BUT IT’S NOT GOING TO BE EASY BATTER… YOU’RE LUCKY THAT YOU HAD TO COME HERE FIRST, THEY WOULD HAVE JUST TRIED TO KILL YOU ON THE SPOT. SORT OF LIKE HOW I DID- BUT I STILL HAVE MERCY IN ME. GOOD THING ZACH WAS THERE… BUT YOU WOULDN'T HAVE GOTTEN HURT LIKE THAT, HAD YOU JUST STAYED HIDDEN! YOUR STUPID TEETH WONT WORK ON ANYONE UNLESS ITS YOUR LAST FUCKING RESORT. THEN YOU ALWAYS AIM FOR THE NECK, DON’T JUST JUMP IN ON A WHIM, FUCKING THINK A BIT YOU IDIOT.”  
Dedan squeezed Batter to him as he pressed his face against him, grumbling lowly. He could feel how Batter was holding his breath as their faces touched, intentional or not. It was clear there was a strong emotion between them, but whatever it might be, they haven’t decided yet. Perhaps it’s just a need to touch, and be touched. They both quietly exhaled when Dedan eased up and pulled his head away, but he slid his hand to the back of Batt’s head to run his hands through his short hair.  
“JAPHET- HES ALWAYS BEEN SOMEWHAT FUCKING SENSIBLE. MAYBE ENOUGH OF HIS BRAIN IS STILL IN USE THAT I CAN GET HIM TO STOP BEING SUCH AN ENTITLED ASSHOLE. JUST BECAUSE YOU GIVE SOMEONE THEIR FUCKING BASIC NEEDS, DOESNT MEAN THEY OWE YOU SHIT. ELSENS WHO WORK HERE GET THEIR FAIR FUCKING SHARE, ITS WHAT I OWE THEM FOR WORKING FOR ME. ZONE 2 ONLY EXPORTS ELSENS AND SHIT LIKE ENTERTAINMENT, THEY ARE THE LARGEST IMPORTER OF REFINED GOODS. ZONE 3 TAKES ALL THE FUCKING RAW GOODS AND TURNS THEM INTO SHIT THAT CAN BE USED, THEN IT JUST GOES DOWN THE LINE UNTIL WE GET LEFT WITH WHATEVER SURPLUS THERE WAS. WE EXPORT ONLY RAW GOODS AND USUALLY JUST IMPORT-“  
Dedan was cut off by Batter as he gently put a hand on his face. 

“I know. You’ve told me this many times, Dedan. I know how the Zones work, Zone 3 is a factory and Zone 2 is like the housing areas here but bigger and more stores. I know. What I don’t know is what the other Guardians are like, you always avoid telling me that. I get that you don’t want to talk about it, but I rather you tell me you don’t want to talk about it, rather than listen to you tell me how everything works for the nth time today. I am content with not listening to that again.”  
His hand was taken off Dedan’s face and wrapped behind his neck so Batter could pull himself up, and press his face against the others. The Guardian squeezed Batt again, holding it for much longer this time, using the hand on the back of his head to hold head faces together. 

“IT’S NOT SO MUCH THAT I DON’T WANT TO TELL YOU, TRUST ME, I WOULD LOVE TO SO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE UP AGAINST, BUT IT’S BEEN SO LONG SINCE I’VE TALKED TO HIM, LET ALONE SEEN HIM. I JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT TO SAY. HE’S AN EGOTISTICAL TWAT, BUT ENOCH IS SO MUCH WORSE WITH HIS GOD COMPLEX. I HOPE HE REMEMBERS WE ARE JUST AS MORTAL AS EVERYTHING ELSE HERE... WE ARE JUST TOO STRONG FOR ANYTHING TO BEAT US. ANYTHING BUT YOU PRETTY MUCH, THEY ARE LUCKY YOU AREN'T OUT TO FUCK THEM UP. WITH ENOUGH PRACTICE YOU COULD HAVE TAKEN ME OUT NO FUCKING PROBLEM, IF YOU DIDNT HAVE THAT HORRIBLE FIRST DAY.”

“Yes, getting my own ass handed to me wasn’t what I really thought I would be doing that day, but again, I really didn’t know what to expect.”  
Batter sighed through his nose as Dedan relaxed his arms again, feeling his temperature start to match that of his large friend here. He felt an almost hot, intense warmth throughout him that made his mind feel like it’s swimming.

“I DON'T THINK YOU COULD PREDICT ANY OF THIS IF I’M HONEST. DON’T THINK ANYTHING REALLY COULD.”  
Their bodies bumped against each other as the tram hit a particularly big bump, making the two men groan. 

“I don’t think Zach was being serious when he told me he was hoping we would rub off on each other. I don’t think that was literal.”  
Batter put both arms around Dedan’s neck to help keep him stable, Dedan holding Batt to him as tightly as he could without crushing him to death, the tracks getting very bumpy now that they were starting to slow down. Their bodies hit against each other in awkward ways, the poor Purifier unable to move or else face being cold, and the fact that Dedan had him in a good hold right now. 

“AGAIN, THAT’S HIS FUCKING FAULT FOR NOT SAYING HE DIDNT MEAN IT LITERALLY. WHY WOULD HE EVEN MIND? I’M SURE HE WOULD BE HAPPY IM NOT A GIANT FUCKING GROUCH ANYMORE. THAT MAN WILL POKE FUN OF YOU THOUGH, DON'T TAKE THAT LITERALLY, IT JUST MEANS HE LIKES YOU. HE JOKES AROUND WITH ALL HIS FRIENDS, IT'S JUST TEASING.”

As the tram car came to a stop, Dedan was already getting up, scooping Batter into his arms once more and hiding him in his coat. It was colder outside now that they had been on there for a while, so he didn’t want Batter to freeze, he’s still supposed to keep him alive after all. It was no issue to the small Purifier, he enjoyed being warm, so this was just fine, plus there was no one really at Alma after dark. The meat rivers were slowed to a near stop because of how cold it was, it made everything thicker and harder to move than usual. Everything was colder that night, so much so that Batter found himself waking up right next to the large Guardian, who had taken up most of the bed so Batt was sort of stuck under him. Not that he minded too much right then, it was warm while everything else was still cold, just not as cold as the previous night. It wasn’t unusual to wake up tangled in his larger friend, he did it often in fact. Most mornings started off with separating from each other because some time as they were sleeping, they cuddled up next to each other. It was basically every morning, but at least Batter wasn’t waking up cold, so he said nothing. Also, he often got affection as soon as the two were awake, so there were 0 complaints here. 

Everything had gotten much easier once the initial infestations of spectres were purified, the Elsens work went along smoother, and with Batter patrolling the Zone during the day, hoards of spectres were less common. They started to stay away around places he would visit frequently, so he would frequent places they would to keep them away. It took him across the Zone, discovering new places each day. A lot of areas he visited were the rural housing scattered across the Zone. Spectres rarely showed up, but Elsens needing help were commonly found there, so he liked to be helpful while he was trying to establish a known presence everywhere. The community here was kind and giving, even if they were all tired from constant work. Housing for the Elsen’s were all quite the same, big stone buildings where they all got their own small place, shoving as many homes into one building as possible. They had tall walls around each building, closed off with a gate to help keep spectres out. The walls were calm colours, a speckled design on the faces to help give it appeal. No one finds things on the walls, not usually at least. The most one might find are birds, but those are far and few between. They hide among the roof tops, sometimes perching on the walls. Elsen’s native to this Zone always stop to look at them, but the workers imported from Zone 2 never really pass more than a glance to them. Batter could remember the first time he saw the Elsens making a small crowd around what his puppeteer said looked to be a sea-based bird, something she called a “gull.” He had stopped to see what was going to happen, but they just stood there, admiring the creature silently. Batter had been so fixated on the group, that he got a little surprised when a resident of Zone 2, who had been standing next to him for a little while, spoke up.

“They uh- They do that a lot…”  
He spoke timidly, but seemed to be a little confused by it as well by the small tone to his voice.  
“They don’t uh- They uhm, have no bird houses here, so the birds don’t really nest here except for uh- on the boats. I uh. I like to- I like to uh. Come and go between these two Zones a lot, back at home there’s lots of bird house’s everywhere… I uh, I think it was because Japhet uhm.. I think he wanted them there? I uh- well actually no one has uhm. No one has really seen the Zone 2 Guardian lately, just uh…. Just some mangey, delusional cat.”

“I see…”  
Batter didn’t really know what to say, but Dedan was right. No one had much to say about the Zone 2 Guardian, and he didn’t even ask about that yet. The smaller man beside him gave off a nervous energy, just like the rest of them, though he seems a little more… Up for conversation, one might say.

“He-Hey, you uh-... You are that uhm… You know- That uh…. Inspector? I hear you have uh- I uhm. I hear you’ve been helping Dedan clean up the spectres? Thank you for- uhm. Thanks for that, word going around is he’s been much happier lately. I don’t- I don’t know what else you’ve done but- keep it up? It seems to uhm. It uuh... seems to be working..”  
The nervous man put his hands in his pant pockets, looking around like someone trying to get out of a situation might.  
“If uh- Or uhm when- you uhm… You go to uh- Zone 2, I suggest uh- going on one of the uhm… Going on one of the ships if you want to see the uh- the birds. It uh- It takes longer than the uhm… The nothingness, but I uh.. I find it worth it, I don’t uh… I don’t like using it. I don’t think anyone really uh… Really does…”

“I don’t have much of a choice how I get there, as long as I get there.”  
Batter had paused for a second, glancing around before leaning down and lowering his voice, eyes still on the group of Elsens ogling at the feathery animal.  
“I have to take your Guardian with me if I want to have the same effect there that I do here. Japhet would not listen to a stranger as far as I know, so bringing Dedan to rekindle their friendship is the best I can do. I only purify the spectres, I cannot do this myself as many may believe. I do not have the ‘communication skills’ required to do this the proper way.”  
As he stood back up straight, there was a small pause as the tiny stranger thought to himself before speaking up again.

“Dedan hasn’t agreed to see him in so long-”  
The elsen hushed his voice, staring right at Batter as he asked something with a very serious tone, brows furrowed.   
“What did you have to do to make him like you? There’s no way he could have been swayed this easily if he didn’t have some sort of emotional attachment to this, he’s been ignoring this problem for years, how did you do it?”  
He watched as The Purifier’s face turned a deep, almost black, grey colour and looked away.

“It was nothing, really. All I have done is hit spectres with my bat, besides that I have done nothing, Dedan always has his eyes on me when he is around. I have done nothing.”  
Batter crossed his arms tightly and looked the other way, trying to spot some decent excuse to leave before he just bluntly did it. The nosey stranger just put his hands up and weakly chuckled, a nervous tone to everything he did. Then again, that was the same for basically all of the Elsens.

“I’m not- I’m not accusing you of anything- I’m just- I’m just asking, that’s all- bu-but if it’s private I’m not- I’m not going to push. Have- Have a nice- good day sir.”  
He rushed off the opposite way he came, slinking into the thinning crowd of workers getting off their shift. Batter was left there alone standing there, face still flushed. He didn’t mean to come off so defensive, it made him feel a little guilty almost, but it’s better than coming off as aggressive he must admit. Though, he did believe it was sort of the truth. He had done nothing to cause Dedan to start to like him, all he had done was tell the truth and ‘be himself,’ and the Guardian started to soften up on him. Perhaps they had both softened each other up, rubbing sandpaper on sandpaper is bound to smooth them both out.

Speaking of rubbing, Batter had to stop thinking about that. Some of the first things that always came to mind when thinking about Dedan, had to be how warm to the touch he was, it was always the first thing that came to his head, he was reminded of that fact when he would remember how the man would rub him. His hands were huge and he would splay his fingers out when he moved them down him, it gave him odd, warm feelings the more he did it. The feeling of their bodies touching and grazing against each other while they were alone was burned into his mind, he could almost feel how touchy he was if he thought about it enough . The second thing that also usually comes to his mind, aside from those moments, might have to be the colour red, as he associates it so much with Dedan’s temperature. Batter felt Zacharie was more of a mild green, cold, but not freezing. Maybe even a yellow at times, a nice chilled breeze, or a nice cold toad. He also associated Zach with safety, which the colours green and yellow sort of already felt like. Really, the colours he saw his friends as make a lot of sense to him. Red is a very strong colour, bold and outspoken, a very hot and ill tempered colour, but also a warm and passionate one. Green and Yellow might have been passionate as well, but Batter saw them more as curious colours, not too cold but not the warmest, a very nice contrast to the surroundings, pop-out shades that make you feel happy and content with your surroundings. It all made sense to him at least, and perhaps that’s all that really mattered. Had he tried to explain all this to someone, surely he might sound a little crazy. His puppeteer said she could understand what he meant perfectly, but again, that’s his puppeteer, so he didn’t really count her all that much.

Batter still missed Zacharie, he was hoping he might come back a little early, but as long as he came back it didn’t really matter to him. Maybe when he gets back and sees everything he has accomplished while he was away, Zach might be a little proud that the two men got the Zone cleaned out before he even got back, and so quickly as well. It shouldn’t be too long until he gets back, he was getting almost excited to see him again, as Dedan said that if Zacharie wasn’t back until the end of the week, that they could go sit by the docks sometime to wait for him. Batter might have felt guilty about talking about Zacharie so much around Dedan, except the other didn’t mind at all, even though he might not quite get it, he seemed supportive enough. Then again, Batter’s definition of “talking a lot,” is definitely vastly different from others. He is a quiet man to begin with, speaking what was on his mind was never really his thing, if he has something he has to do he sort of just… Wanders off and does it, like any reasonable man would do. Even though he and Dedan have gotten better at working together, Batt still had the bad habit of starting to wander off without a word, now all the Guardian does when he notices this is yank the smaller man back over. They both had a lot of silent “don’t mention it” things they did for each other that neither man really mentions, ever. They could communicate pretty silently, though Batter isn’t sure if scooping him up would typically count as “silent communication.” It did feel nice though, he could admit that. 

Now that he thought about it, Dedan and Batter had a lot of moments where feelings went unsaid, tender moments of touching where neither said a thing. Those moments always made him feel unusually warm, his mind would fill with white noise and he wouldn’t know what to do. Sometimes the tension between them felt so strong that he could swear that the room filled with a different energy, he never knew what to do but he knew that it felt oddly good. Dedan had been getting more confident in the touching as days past, that much Batter could tell. From the squeezing to the constant rubbing and touching, he could feel the Guardian get farther in his advances, whatever that end result might be. Batter had a strong feeling that those feelings would come out soon, no way tensions could get much higher without a breakthrough somehow.


	7. High Tensions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Dedan and Batter go to watch the boats come in to see if Zacharie comes back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter TW(s): Food mentions, graphic depiction of violence and blood, NSFW themed content

Zone 1 was a very rainy Zone, at least during the wet season. The heat would often evaporate the water from the plastic sea, forming huge storm clouds that brought gallons apon gallons of water with them where they went. During these particularly hot months, the plastic would form hardened chunks of itself that floated to the bottom, these were very helpful in building. The chunks were incredibly hard, almost impossible to break once fully formed, they were a common building material for important buildings, but to get them required years of training before you even get to go out into the water. The specialized equipment built for diving under the water took time to learn how to use and care for, as making them is very expensive and time consuming, and learning how to not fear the deep ocean was even more so. Luckily for Elsens still wanting to work on a boat, out on the open seas, the fishing business was one that always needed more man-power. Running the ships was costly, as it had to be manned to up to 50 workers at a time on some of the largest ships, sometimes even more. They would stay out on the plastic until they had caught the number they are expecting to need that year, which is surprisingly a lot at times, as Zone 1 is the biggest consumer of fish products, second to Zone 2. These days, Zone 3 rarely imports mass amounts of meat anymore, the sudden decline in their purchase of meat products, raw or refined, caused a serious crash at first. In fact, they had been steadily slowing their purchases all together, which Batter could tell that it bugged Dedan. The way he always spoke about the Zone made his feelings quite clear.

“THEY USED TO BE OUR BIGGEST CONSUMER, THEY WOULD TAKE JUST ABOUT EVERY RAW MATERIAL WE WOULD GIVE THEM AND MAKE THEM ALL USEABLE OR EDIBLE, THAT’S HOW IT HAD BEEN FOR THE LONGEST FUCKING TIME. THAT IS THE ZONE MADE FOR REFINING THINGS SUCH AS THE METALS AND PLASTICS WE HARVEST HERE. THE DAY THAT FUCKING ASSHOLE ENOCH STOPPED BUYING AS MUCH MEAT AS HE DID BEFORE MADE ME REALLY FUCKING SUSPICIOUS. NOTHING ABOUT THAT FUCKING ZONE FEELS RIGHT, NOT ANYMORE. EVERY FUCKING SINCE HE’S CUT DOWN ON THOSE PURCHASES, IVE FOUND THAT OTHER ONES HAVE STOPPED AS WELL. I HAVEN’T TALKED TO THAT HEARTLESS FUCKING PRICK IN FUCKING FOREVER, I HAVE NO FUCKING CLUE WHAT THE BRAIN-ROTTING MORON COULD BE FUCKING DOING, LAST TIME I SPOKE TO HIM IT WAS CLEAR HE WASN’T IN THE RIGHT FUCKING HEADSPACE.”  
Dedan would go on for at least an hour ranting about his friends, and how they couldn’t run a Zone, he even did it with Japhet. He would rave and ramble about how he had to take in a lot of his Elsens, because so many had no jobs, and therefore couldn’t afford to be living there. He could just scream his head off about how it was cruel to have a housing Zone, but no way to actually pay for everything because jobs are limited. Dedan often spoke of the first time the housing crisis came up to him, it was perhaps one of the things he mentioned most about his bird-friend.  
“IT WAS FUCKING HORRIBLE, I HAVE NO FUCKING CLUE HOW HE DIDN’T FUCKING THINK OF THAT GOD DAMN SHIT. WHAT THE FUCK DID HE THINK WOULD FUCKING HAPPEN? YOU CAN’T JUST HAVE A PLACE WITH HOUSES YOU PAY FOR, BUT NOT FUCKING WAY TO ACTUALLY PAY FOR THE DAMN THINGS!!!! I DON’T EVEN FUCKING MAKE MY ELSENS PAY FOR THEIR PLACES! YOU KNOW HOW THEY FUCKING PAY ME? THEY WORK. THEY COME HERE AND THEY FUCKING WORK THEIR ASSES OFF AND THEN COME BACK TO THEIR LITTLE SHITTY APARTMENT AND HAVE THE REST OF THE TIME TO THEMSELVES FOR WHATEVER THE FUCK THEY MIGHT WANT, WHICH ISN’T A LOT OF TIME FOR THE ONES WHO WORK HERE FULL TIME, BUT NOT EVERYONE IS A FULL-TIME WORKER. A LOT OF OUR SHIFT WORKERS ARE FROM ZONE 2, YOU KNOW WHY? BECAUSE THEY NEEDED A JOB SO FUCKING BAD, SO I PUT THEM ON THE LEAST AMOUNT OF WORK I COULD AND THEN I PAY THEM. WE NEED SOME FACTORIES TO BE RUNNING AT NIGHT, AND SOME SHIPS HAVE TO MAKE NIGHTLY TRIPS TO OTHER ZONES TO DELIVER THINGS. THERE’S SO MUCH THAT RELIES ON NIGHTLY SHIFTS SO WE JUST PUT THEM ON SHIFT- DUTY TO MAKE THEIR CREDITS, AND THEN THEY GO BACK HOME UNTIL THEY NEED TO MAKE MORE. JAPHET DIDN’T EVEN FUCKING TALK TO ME HIMSELF! IT WAS THE ZONE 2 AMBASADOR! HE CAME OVER ON A FUCKING- DELERVY SHIP AND CAME INTO MY FUCKING OFFICE UNEXPECTED AND TOLD ME THAT THEY WERE FACING A HOUSING CRISIS. ELSENS HAD TO PAIR UP TO AFFORD PLACES SOMETIMES, THEIR MEN COULDN’T FIND ANY JOBS, THERE JUST WASN’T ENOUGH TO GO AROUND, AND THE WORST FUCKING PART, IS THAT THEY COULDN’T FUCKING FIND JAPHET TO BRING THIS UP TO HIM. HE HAD BEEN GONE FOR WHO KNOWS HOW FUCKING LONG! SO I CLEANED UP HIS FUCKING MISTAKE. IT’S ALWAYS ME CLEANING UP THEIR DAMN MESSES! ZONE 2 ELSENS HAVE NO WORK? I GIVE THEM JOBS HERE AND PAY THEM TO WORK, THEY PUT CREDITS BACK INTO OUR ECONOMY BY LIVING HERE WHILE THEY WORK, AND THE MONEY THEY TAKE BACK TO THEIR ZONE HELPS FIX THEIR FUCKING ECONOMY. ZONE 3 STOPS IMPORTING AND SLOWS EXPORTING? I BUILD FUCKING FACTORIES TO PROCESS AND REFINE MINERALS WE MINE HERE TO HELP PICK UP THE EXPORT NEEDS! THESE FUCKING MORONS DO NOTHING AND HERE I AM TRYING TO KEEP THINGS RUNNING AS BEST AS I FUCKING CAN! I DON’T THINK THAT’S VERY FUCKING FAIR TO ME, NOW IS IT? PUTTING ALMOST FUCKING EVERYTHING ON ME IS JUST ABOUT THE WORST FUCKING IDEA, I WAS SO BUSY TRYING TO KEEP UP WITH MAKING UP FOR THE OTHERS SLACK THAT I COULDN’T TAKE CARE OF THE DAMN SPECTRES. THIS IS ALL FUCKING STUPID AND THE SECOND I SEE THAT BIRDS UGLY BEAK, I’M SMASHING IT IN FOR HAVING THE FUCKING AUDACITY TO PULL THIS SHIT. AT LEAST SOMEONE HERE IS TRYING TO KEEP THESE FUCKERS ALIVE!”  
Dedan was a very heated man, he shouted a lot, for a long time. He was clearly passionate about many things, practically to the point where it pissed him off beyond belief. Batter had to agree that he was right though, putting so much on Dedan wasn’t that fair. Zone 1 was the biggest Zone, purely because he had to expand it so much just to keep up with demands, that’s why there’s so much rich culture in this Zone. With Elsens doing so many different jobs, and the ones from Zone 2, it created many different sub-cultures within the Zone that amazed Batter, even if they were created out of the stress of having to expand to accommodate more. 

Perhaps what worried Batter the most while Dedan was on his long rambles, was the bits about Zone 3. No one had seen anyone come out from there for a long time, anyone who they did see were on ships, and all they would do is unload the cargo before taking off. They didn’t import anything, it was purely exports to Zone 2, Zone 1 was the only one that also got imports, but for that it’s their men on the ships going back and forth. With purchases of bulk materials on the decline, and the fact no one comes in and out of that Zone, it made Batter really nervous in an odd way. What could they be doing in that factory? Why has no one left? And why have they cut down the meat imports to almost 0? What would they be consuming there, if not meat? Zone 3 sounded terrifying, a place of death. He imagined a deep, cold blue when he thought of Zone 3, the colour of death, fear, and just all around unease. Blue was a cold colour, and factories were made of metal, and metal was cold. Just everything about it felt off, especially the fact that Zone 3 is the only producer of Sugar, it’s out right banned in Zone 1, and it’s rarely found outside of the third Zone, it isn’t banned in Zone 2, but with the ban in the first Zone, none of the Elsens really tend to take the chance, they might lose their chance at working if caught using it. Zone 3 was typically depicted as shady by other Elsens as well, anyone one might ask about it would have the same thing to say.

“Zone 3? Oh, no one goes there. There used to be a lot of communication to and from there, but… Not anymore. Anyone seen from that Zone is.. Uh. We don't really talk about uhm.. Zone 3. It’s not nice to speak ill of others, even if it might be a little true. No one really knows what happens there anymore, no one ever goes in or out. All the uh. All the workers, they uh… They don’t speak to us in Zone 2. They unload and go, nothing said. Everyone sort of uh- we uhm. We don’t uh.. We don’t try to talk to them anymore… I don’t know what happens there, but uh. I don’t think I want to uh- Find out.”  
It was always that they were quiet, and no one spoke to them anymore. Not even an ambassador, no one has seen him in ages, meanwhile the ambassador’s of Zone 1 & 2 commonly met up to speak about problems the two Zone’s were faced with, and how to address them. With Dedan so busy with other things that he couldn’t do it himself, but he did always have the final say in things, usually he trusted his Elsens to do the right thing, at least Batter always noticed him trusting them as far as he could throw them. The only time he really got upset at their decision, is when the topic was very touchy, and dealing with it the wrong way could end very badly. Though for the most part, he always trusted the plan the ambassadors would come up with, it was always very thorough, at least to Batter.

Keeping up with the latest happenings was always very easy, pay-to-open boxes were all over the Zone, mostly located in densely populated areas like the shopping districts. You could put in a credit, and the box would open and reveal what was inside: newspapers. They were filled with all the latest news, everything big or small, if it could fit in there, it would. The paper was also the only place you could find ads, they mostly consisted of shops or restaurants. A common tactic was to print a coupon out as the ad, it was effective for making others check the place out, as it would save them some credits in the long-run. It was always helpful for Batter when he was looking for new places to check out, it also saved him the little bit of credits he gets from purifying spectres, and they often drop them for reasons unknown. How they could have even gotten a hold of them was beyond him, and the possible implications of why they have credits was not something he would like to explore. One business the Purifier found through this method, was a small bakery in the cattle-district. He liked to call it that, because it’s where most of the processes to do with live cattle were held. Barns, fields, and even the slaughter houses were around this area. It was a rather odd placement for such a place, but luckily breads aren’t the only things that it had, you could also purchase sandwiches, which were very popular among the workers, as they were easy to store and filling enough during their lunch break. Batter mostly enjoyed it for the smells, that’s why he preferred many of his favourite places, they just smelled pleasant. Background noises were also very important to him, same with general temperature. More in-land got warmer from the lack of sea surrounding it. By the shores of the Zone were commonly cooler, and experienced stronger winds. Water guards were almost everywhere for places that got hit hardest by waves during storms. If they weren’t there, the water would get all over the ground and have no way to get sucked in, as plastics and metals don’t absorb water. Storms by the water were the worst ones in the Zone, wind hit the buildings hard, and water constantly crashed against the sides of the walls. The storms there were loud and violent, while they typically got calmer the further in you got, for that reason the housing was always further in, usually surrounding the shopping street that had to go from each district. The road even had its own bridge to the parts of the Zone that are disjointed from the rest, as cattle are not the biggest fans of trams or boats, nor are Elsens huge fans of standing around large beasts that smell like, quite literally, utter crap. Or udder if one wants to make a pun, but Batter isn’t a big fan of those. Clever wordplay is cool, yes, but generally he doesn’t give a single shit about how many puns can be made, talking is boring and exhausting, he much rather quietly spend time with his favourite friend than have an entire conversation with anyone. Lucky for him, Dedan keeps up 90% of the conversation between them, and neither seems to mind. Dedan has a lot of words to say all the time, and Batter has no words to say at any time. So one gets to talk, while the other listen’s with no energy to tell them to shut the fuck up, because he had heard this story for the 5 time that week.

Batter didn’t hate Dedan, or his incessant talking, or the fact that he often told stories more than once, that was all fine to him. His screaming was a little grating at times, but at the end of the day he could really care less about how his Guardian friend sounded. Though, maybe saying he is a friend isn’t totally right, they seemed closer than that at this point. Friends don’t share a bed every night, Friends don’t get as physically close as they would, even Zach always kept a respectable distance. There were so many things that they did, that just generally not something “friends” would do. Their relationship felt healthy, at least to Batter. He gave to Dedan as much as he could, even if he isn’t good with affection like the Guardian seems to be. Friends for sure don’t spend hours cuddled up to each other before passing out, because the one that needs the extra body heat in the first place passed out so now the other is stuck holding his “friend.” If the two weren’t friends, what would they be? Friends look out for each other, they care about each other, they just don’t get… As heated, as they do. He didn’t mean heated as in angry, they rarely actually got into those sorts of arguments, Dedan was usually good at stepping down when his ego was too big, Batter just didn’t like to fight verbally, he rather get physical if someone wanted to argue with him that much. Maybe friends also don’t say that it’s fine after the other bites them more than once, because he got touched in a funny way and it was the first reaction, was to bite the ever loving shit out of their arm. Maybe, just maybe, the feelings Batter gets while they are together isn’t in fact just friendship. Not totally at least, he bets that Zach might be able to help when he gets back, whenever that might be. 

Speaking of Zacharie getting back, It shouldn’t be that long until he does. A good few more days until he SHOULD be returning, Batter was excited. Maybe he could know what the other Zone’s would look like, as Dedan wouldn’t know what recent changes there might be. Perhaps he could also tell him what’s going on in Zone 3, give him an insight to what’s going on, as he is the only one still able to get in, at least Batter would assume so. Since the week’s end was nearing, Dedan had promised to take Batter out to the docks for the rest of the week until Zacharie got back. The Purifier was actually looking forward to that today, as he enjoyed the smell of the area. Even though raw fish smelled awful, the amount of cooks that had the smell of cooked food wafting into the streets helped cover it up. You couldn’t go anywhere outside that DIDN’T smell of food, it was a little nauseating at times, sure, but overall it was a much more palatable smell than raw fish. Most food vendors had carts outside, or little open shacks that had area’s outside to sit and eat, it brought the birds over from the boats for a snack, and Elsen’s often fed them bits and pieces of breading and whatever they didn’t finish, even if it was usually frowned on to do by the owners of the establishments, no one heeded much mind to the concerns over feeding the animals. After all, they need to eat as well, and it kept the birds from going more in-land to find food. Any birds that did make the journey further in, ended up evolving to feed off the scraps left by the slaughterhouses, especially those that are taking metal out of the cattles stomach, bits of scrap meat get pulled out with it, and the birds happily snatch the tiny bits up and gobble them down, it actually gets to be a problem at times, it’s the worst on hot days, as the stench is really bad and carries pretty far, and the workers are less inclined to swat the pests away, as they are too tired from the heat. Batter’s favourite part of the docking area had to be the birds, they made it feel a little more lively, even if their swacking was grating to the ears. A lot of things made that area very nice, such as the boats in the distance, the sounds of the Elsens working, the background noise of the shopping district and the clopping of cattle hooves on the road. The smells were perhaps better, even the strong ones that made you feel sick to your stomach, it was just a nice place with a lot to process, which might set some people off from it, then if that’s so he would probably recommend the shopping district near the water plant, it was quiet and had a lot of tiny stores that were common hang-out spots. Smells weren’t as strong, but it still smells heavily of food, just not of fish luckily. It was more of a beefy smell, as soups were popular over there. There were little to no birds, but the cattle traffic was higher, that also meant it smelled a bit bad, but Batt didn’t mind a single bit.

Dedan never really cooked for himself, so the two always went out to eat at the end of the day, the Guardian wouldn’t get the Purifier return to the room they shared unless they ate together, which was albeit a little strange, Batter found it a tiny bit charming that he cared that much about his overall well being. It also gave him a chance to try the different foods they had here, which Dedan was very clearly proud about, saying that the different kinds available everywhere is important to the culture they had cultivated their with letting all the new workers from Zone 2 be here, as some of them ended up staying and owning shops that became a stable in their respectable areas. Everything reflected what was done around that area, down to how they prepared things. Places with a lot of shift switching had foods available faster, for cheaper. Areas that gave Elsens more time to themselves at the end of the day had places you would sit down and wait at, as they had that time and money to spend. The Docks had so many fish shacks, because the workers on the ships had to get something to go really fast before they have to take off again, as many end up spending their whole lives working on these things, but those are the ones who tend to be oddly passionate about fish. Admittedly, they were neat, but just not so neat that Batter would consider spending his whole life around them, to each their own he supposes. It did mean that they had a place to sit down while outside, so Batt could look out for his masked friend. Of course, he didn’t show up the first day they went there, but that first day was nice nonetheless. Dedan left his office early so that they could get back to the tram before it got too dark, because although they accommodate all the night shift workers with bright lights so that it isn’t as dark, being caught during the night time isn’t ideal. The two men had decided to walk to the fishing district, it was a nice day, so it would be a shame to waste it. Batter had started to really notice how much the Elsens stared at them when they were together, and he didn’t know how to feel, were they judging him? Who would they be to judge him of all beings? He keeps them safe by purifying the spectres, they have no right to judge who he spends his time with. They would look at the two men in odd ways, murmuring to each other as they passed. What was the issue? Was it perhaps the fact that Dedan often grabbed Batter’s hand in large crowds? That was totally normal, it was so they didn’t lose each other, even if Dedan is much taller than all his workers. Was it the way they always walked right next to each other, rather than the small distance the Elsens kept from each other while walking? They shouldn’t be telling him how to walk if they can’t even go a day without choking on fear. Or was it the way they always were around each other during, and after work? Or how Batter is so passive to the Guardian, while Dedan is generally loud with everything he does? What was it about the both of them that made others stare?

The oddly pair had sat themselves at a table, near a very popular fish sticks vendor just outside of the loading docks. It was rather full as a new shipment had just arrived, and the ship's crew were getting their food before having to take off. It was popular because it was so close, the food was just fine, but no one ate there for the taste, it was convenient, and the owners knew that. The area set up outside of it was rather nice. Large, round, and colourful tables with the seats built into it had been placed outside, a fair distance apart so everyone could walk through without getting too terribly close to each other. Batter had been told to sit down at a table while Dedan actually got their food, but when the Guardian actually sat down beside him, he could feel the stares once more. Was it how their legs often tangled when they sat with each other? Or maybe it was the occasional, casual, gentle touching that Dedan had eventually gotten okay with doing in public? Maybe it was less of him being comfortable, and more him not caring. Dedan never looked at the staring Elsens, he didn’t seem to notice or care. Maybe they stared at them because they were seated right next to each other, without any room to spare between them. Why stare at them when there was a better view right here? One could watch the unloading of the ships, or the birds flocking in, or one could even watch the sun before it starts to set too much. There were so many other things to stare at, other than them, and the fact that they were so often stared at, made Batter nervous. It made him feel as if whatever they were doing wasn't normal. What if it was a little odd? Batt found no issue with it, why should they? He isn’t in danger, quite the opposite! He is very safe around Dedan! They are as well, why are they staring?

“HEY,”  
Although the Guardians voice was commonly very booming, he had managed to keep it down to a screechy whisper as he placed a hand on Batter’s leg slowly, trying not to make him jump too badly.  
“WHAT’S WRONG?”  
Clearly, he had noticed the other was feeling off, however he did that, Batter wasn’t too sure, as he didn’t know what sorts of cue’s he could even give off to give him such an idea. Not that he was wrong in his assumption, he was totally right, Batter didn’t feel good. He could barely have what Dedan had given him, he was becoming that nervous of the staring.

“Do you not see them staring?”  
The Purifier jerked his head towards the Elsens quickly, trying not to look too suspicious. Dedan casually had a look around him before shrugging and pressing his face against Batter’s cap, not even pulling away right away afterwards. He just held his head there for a second or two before returning to normal.

“I DON’T CARE, LET THE IDIOTS STARE, WHY SHOULD I CARE WHAT THE FUCK THOSE FUCKS THINK OF WHATEVER WE ARE DOING? THEY CAN MIND THEIR OWN FUCKING BUSINESS.”  
He didn’t bother to keep his voice as low this time, and others clearly heard because their heads snapped back to their own table, looking very nervous. This did ease Batt’s worries, but now he had his own personal issue on hand. He was incredibly warm, physical affection always made him heat up like that, he could feel he was warmest in some areas, but overall he was just cooking on the inside. Though he only felt this warm when Dedan touched him, he had no reaction to the Elsens touching him, so clearly it was something to do specifically with the Guardian, not like Batter didn’t already see that. Feeling like there’s a stone in your throat, or that your chest is being compressed into a superheated ball is not a normal feeling around people, and he got it around Dedan. Whatever the odd feeling was, he chose not to comment on it. Perhaps brain-fog isn’t normal around a friend either, feeling like your thoughts are suddenly out of reach, maybe it was just how hot Batter felt, but the brain-fog caused him to go long moments of saying nothing to the Guardian.

The sky always set with the colours of pinks, to deep purples and blues, it looked quite nice, and with the setting sun went the cargo ships, loaded back up and ready to go. Seafaring birds often left with the ships, though some stayed, clearly having somewhere to stay for the night. It was a very eye-catching, very stunning sight, even if the Purifier had seen the sun set almost every day since he came here. Everyone started to clear as soon as the sun started to touch the water, and the stench of the day's cooking started to thin, a cool sea breeze rolling in. At this point, lights would automatically turn on, giving off a lot of extra light for the time being. Lights were hidden in many places, on the side of buildings, under the tarps over some of the store doors, there were even lights on the tall electrical poles. The poles ran everywhere, even to the trams. Bridges commonly had the wiring build into them to help keep the power going, it was all planned out very well. The docking district, fish district, whatever one might want to address it as, was the only place you could really find birds nests, they were made up of strips of garbage they steal, or manage to get from garbage cans near food vendors. The ones that sell fish to the sailors coming in had the most stolen from them, practically to the point that a bird will try to snatch the garbage as soon as it’s empty. It was commonplace for the giant birds to sit on the tables, menacingly waiting for you to finish, sometimes harassing you for some scraps. Sailors coming in for a meal usually had birds perching on them, snatching food right from their hands, as the sailors didn’t even try to move them at all. They ignored them for the most part, which sort of confused Batter. Zone 1 Elsens would toss scraps away to get the birds away, Zone 2’s would either try to get the birds to reach their neck out to them to give them a pat, or would toss it and watch them to see if they caught it. The wildly different reactions were interesting to Batter, the cultures live together, but you can really tell who lives where by what’s around.

When the sun set a little quarter before half way, a new ship off in the distance was approaching. Dedan and Batter were still sitting there, not really saying anything to each other, watching the sun slowly roll down. At this point, Batter knew Zacharie wasn’t coming today, but watching things change as the sun went down was rather peaceful. The owners of the food vendor they were hanging around were switching shifts around this time, as someone had to be here for the night boats. One of the day-shift cooks came out to their table, a medium take-out container in his hands. They were rather amusing, a rectangle, sometimes tall, sometimes more wide than tall, but they were always patterned with red and white stripes. A useless addition, but a fun one nonetheless. The container being brought to them was wider, a little tall, but for sure more wide than anything. The cook set it down on the table, a little, semi-clear lid on the box. The man smiled nervously, clasping his hands together as he quietly spoke to them.

“I uh- I’m sorry about the uh… The stares Mr. Dedan- We don’t uhm- We don't really uh- see you around that often and uhm.. Well- you- you know! You’ve uh.. Been around alot more often. I uh- I hope these help uh- make up for the uhm… the rudeness of some of my uh. My uhm- customers you know.. It’s leftovers from what wasn’t sold, that uh- tends to happen during the shift.”  
The man took a step back, about to remove himself from the situation before Dedan cleared his throat, making him stop to listen. The Guardian tilted his head to look at the cook, eyes squinted slightly.

“IT’S NO BIG DEAL, IT’S NOT YOUR FUCKING FAULT. GET GOING BEFORE IT GETS TOO FUCKING DARK.”  
He scowled quietly, looking at the box and lowering his voice.  
“THANK YOU THOUGH, I DON’T NEED IT, BUT THANK YOU.”

“Yes, you uh- you are welcome.”  
The man gave a small little nod before taking off, the night-shift cook already preparing the shak for his shift.

Dedan put a hand under Batter’s arm, another on his closest leg, hauling him into his lap as he spread his legs a little for the other to fit between them. He put his arms around the other gently, leaning his head down to press against the other's cap again. Batter felt the strong, warm feeling flood over his body like a wave crashing against a rock. The sort of wave to knock a man off his feet in an instance. It was darker, so no one was really around to notice, but something about the public display of affection made the feeling from warm, to hot. The type of hot on a stove element, a burning sensation that felt like he was being put on a steady simmer. Perhaps that was just how warm the Guardian was, after all, he was even this warm on their first day meeting. The burning of Dedan’s blood on his skin felt like it was still there when Batter thought back to the day. The break of pressure in the larger man's arm when he had bitten down on it played in his mind as if it was still there, still happening to some extent. The satisfying pop, followed by the rush of fiery blood in his mouth after he was slammed to the ground, it was choking him, quite literally. Dedan had shoved his arm further in Batter’s mouth, forcing his jaws open more, causing him to choke on the blood as it flowed in. There was so much of it, it burned so badly, the sides of his face felt like they were going to melt at any moment, the less air he could get the more everything seemed to have hurt more, it all burned and hurt as he found that he could see less and less, and he had a harder time getting the blood out from his throat as it forced its way in during desperate breaths. Luckily he didn’t die from that, obviously, though at the time part of him almost feared he might. The massive hand the Guardian shoved onto him to hold him down was almost just as warm as the burning, thick fluid trying to choke him to death. His palm could practically fit across his entire lower torso, if he had clasped his hand around him he might not have been able to escape how strong his grip is for how large the hands are. That had reminded him of how much of his thigh Dedan could actually grab, he had shown that on the very first day basically, it was strange, but he had a firm grip, it scared Batt at the time, but thinking back on it now gave him strange feelings. 

Many things about Dedan gave him strange feelings, their whole relationship was strange. Batter wasn’t entirely sure Dedan even knew what they were, but he could tell there was some intent with whatever relationship he was being swayed towards. He had no problem with it at all actually, he enjoyed their tender moments, the silence as they took in each other's physical company. The warm moments they shared made the Purifier feel as if heavy clumps stuck in his throat, the moments where the intensity of the moment was clear, but neither spoke a word, their overall relationship was something he didn’t understand, but he wanted more of it nonetheless. It felt like an existence outside of his original purpose, it even made him forget his mission at times, even made him question it, and what it really means. 

A cold wind started to come in strong as the sun retreated more than half way down the distant ocean, making Batter start to shiver and get colder, despite being near Dedan. His feelings still felt intense, something he couldn’t begin to describe, but he was cold now, and he didn’t like that. Grabbing the larger man's coat, Batt turned around, sitting over the Guardians legs as he faced him, huddling to him for some warmth. Near the open plastic waters always cooled down the fastest, and it was a sign it was time to start heading back. Getting comfortable was hard at times, especially now, as the more Batter shuffled around and tried to scoot himself into a comfortable position, he felt something uncomfortably hard between both of the mens legs, though it was clearly coming from Dedan. Being the good guy the Purifier tries to be, he didn’t bother to ask about it, but that didn’t stop the other from taking action. Dedan put a hand on Batter’s waist, fingers spread out for a better grip of the fellow man, pressing him down into the hard area. The new, slightly forced position seemed to be the comfiest, except that it gave the smaller man a strange feeling that forced him to straighten his back out and softly grunt, a small shiver escaping as well. Things were starting to get dark fast, the cold was rushing in, but here in this moment of time, the Purifier couldn’t feel any warmer. He slowly moved his legs to be hanging off the back of the seat, feeling Dedan push him closer to the edge of the table, pressing them together. He felt his leg forcibly kick as he was pressed down onto the hard lump more, feeling himself instinctively squeeze the sides of the Guardian with his thighs, another small shiver forced from him. Dedan’s other hand slid to the back of Batter’s head, thumbing at the smaller man's cheek, lowering his voice to a deep, quiet, rumble as he spoke.

“I THINK WE SHOULD GO BACK. IT’S GETTING DARK, AND YOU’RE GETTING COLD. THE ROOM IS MUCH WARMER.”  
He was right, it was warner, and quieter, a private place to continue this without judgement.

“Yes, I think that is a good idea.”  
As soon as Batter said that, Dedan picked the man up, wrapping him in his coat and walking off with him and the take-out they were gifted. The Purifier wasn’t too much of a fan of being carried, but he refused to say anything about it, because it was a little better than being cold.

By the time they got to the nearest station, the sun had almost completely submerged in the distance, filling the sky with dark, cold hues. The station was well lit, and even in an enclosed building. They would have to get off to get to another station that will take them to Alma, but getting there through this one was the fastest. By this time no one was riding the rails, they had all either gone home or arrived at their shift. Elsens could be very efficient, Batter could say that much, but the system they had in place probably helped. The ride was mostly quiet as they sat next to each other, silently snacking on the free food they had been given. Dedan and him sat right next to each other again, bumping against one another as the tram car bumped its way along the tracks.

“Dedan?”  
The smaller man spoke up softly, looking at his massive friend. 

“YEAH? WHAT IS IT.”  
Dedan looked down at Batter, looking a little tired. They did walk a long way today, so the Purifier could safely assume that was a good reason why he was so tired. Looking away, Batt fumbled with the nearly room-temperature fish in his hands, his voice lowering even though they were alone.

“...What are we? I don’t mean literally, as in… Well. An Elsen is an Elsen, so what are we, sort of way. But like….”  
He suddenly found it difficult to get the words out. Usually he could string together something that made good sense, but he just couldn’t find the words.  
“Emotionally. What are we? I know the Elsens don’t stare because you rarely visit. I can tell that it’s something about us that they are staring at. I have a feeling that whatever we are, it isn’t normal. So.. What are we? And why does it make so many of them stare. It…”  
He let out a stressed exhale, his body language tensing up a lot more than usual. Saying what was on his mind was perhaps one of the hardest things he had to do thus far.  
“It makes me.. Uncomfortable… Them staring makes me uncomfortable, because it makes me feel like whatever I am doing with you is wrong. I don’t- I do not know what we have between us, but I frankly have come to enjoy it greatly, but all their staring makes me nervous. They could not hurt us, so I am.. Not worried about that. I do not fear getting hurt. I just don’t think they have any right to judge, being how nervous they all are.”  
As Batter looked back up at Dedan, he saw the other man’s face drop a little. The silence in the air felt like it clung to them both, a deafening sound that you couldn’t even hear. Like screaming in an air-less void, so close yet still very, very far away.

“I...BATTER..”  
The Guardian sighed with solem contempt, putting his hands together and staring at the floor.  
“YOU SHOULDN’T WORRY ABOUT THEM STARING. I KNOW IT FEELS… AWFUL TO BE STARED AT, IT CAN BE A LITTLE ALIENATING AT TIMES, IT MAKES YOU FEEL DIFFERENT, AND THE NATURAL REACTION TO BEING DIFFERENT IS FEAR, BECAUSE IF YOU AREN’T LIKE THE CROWD THEN YOU STAND OUT. AND IF YOU STAND OUT, YOU’RE A TARGET… AND IF YOU’RE A TARGET, YOU’RE GOING TO GET HURT. SO- I UNDERSTAND- I GET HOW SCARY IT CAN BE TO HAVE THOSE YOU ARE TRYING TO HELP STARE AT YOU LIKE YOU’RE A LITTLE BIT OF A FREAK. I’M NOT PROUD OF EVERYTHING IVE DONE IN LIFE, BATTER… BUT.. YOU REALLY SHOULDN’T WORRY ABOUT THEM AND WHAT THEY THINK. DON’T LET THOSE FUCKING IDIOTS GET TO YOU, THEY ARE ALL LIKE THOSE COWS AT THE END OF THE FUCKING DAY. THEY STARE AT YOU BECAUSE YOU’RE DIFFERENT, AND YES IT’S VERY… NERVE WRACKING, BUT REMEMBER THIS. THEY STARE BECAUSE DEEP DOWN THEY WANT SOMETHING LIKE THAT, WHAT WE HAVE.”  
Dedan straightened himself out and looked at Batter once more, putting a hand on his shoulder, having a more firm, and confident look on his face again.  
“AND SPEAKING ABOUT WHAT WE HAVE… IF I’M HONEST I DON’T KNOW. I DON’T HAVE A SINGLE FUCKING CLUE WHAT WE MIGHT BE, BUT I DO KNOW THAT… I LIKE YOU, YOU’RE OKAY. I’M HAPPY I’VE TAKEN THE TIME TO GET TO KNOW YOU, BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE IF I HADN’T, THAT I WOULD STILL BE A HUGE FUCKING DICK. I STILL HAVE A LOT OF FUCKING ISSUES, AND I’M NEVER GOING TO BE WITHOUT THOSE FUCKERS, AND NOR ARE YOU, BUT I JUST GENUINELY FEEL LIKE YOU WERE THE NAIL IN THE COFFIN THAT MADE ME TRY TO BE FUCKING BETTER. MAYBE WE DO HAVE A REAL CHANCE AT TURNING THIS ALL AROUND BEFORE IT GETS EVEN WORSE, I MEAN, LOOK AT WHAT WE HAVE ALREADY DONE! SPECTRES HAVEN’T BEEN SEEN IN A GOOD FEW DAYS THANKS TO YOU, WORK IS BACK UP TO SPEED, AND EVERYTHING IS STARTING TO TURN INTO A NEW NORMAL. AND, IN THE MIDDLE OF ALL THESE GOOD THINGS HAPPENINGS, IT CAN BE HARD NOT TO GET ATTACHED TO A MAN LIKE YOU.”  
Taking his hand away, Dedan grumbled to himself and crossed his arms, looking away.  
“BUT DON’T LET THAT GET TO YOUR FUCKING HEAD YOU LITTLE SHIT… YOU’RE A GREAT MAN WHO WANTS TO HELP, AND I ADMIRE THAT. YOU REMIND ME OF ME A LITTLE, EXCEPT LESS EMOTIONALLY EXTREME… AND QUIETER.. YOU HAVE MANY GREAT QUALITIES TO YOU, EVEN THOUGH YOUR PERSONALITY IS LIKE A SLAB OF RAW FUCKING MEAT. TASTELESS, A LITTLE HARD TO CHEW, NOT EVERYONE CAN STOMACH IT, BUT THOSE WHO CAN LOVE THE FUCK OUT OF IT. AND I SUPPOSE I’M ONE OF THOSE GUYS WHO ENJOY THE PERSONALITY A LITTLE ON THE MORE COMPLETELY RAW SIDE, BUT WHAT THE FUCK EVER.. I AT LEAST ENJOY YOUR COMPANY AND I THINK THAT COUNTS FOR SOMETHING.”

“That sure is a round-about way of saying you feel we are really close.”  
Batter said this completely seriously, staring at Dedan and waiting for a response. The other simply shook his head and started to laugh.

“YEAH, YOU’RE TOTALLY RIGHT. IT WAS VERY ROUND-ABOUT. I DO THAT ALOT, DON’T I?”

“Yeah, you do.”  
The Purifier attempted to laugh with the Guardian, but it was more of a quiet chuckle. He supposed that it was rather humorous that Dedan couldn’t even give him a straight answer, a little ironic as his puppeteer pointed out to him. Very ironic indeed, one had to agree with that much. Batter’s short laugh was over as soon as he felt Dedan take his face though, feeling himself get a little warm.

“COME HERE.”  
Gripping the small man's chin, he pulled him closer and leaned his face down to his very close buddy. His face up close wasn’t the nicest, the huge gnashing teeth, and the smaller, sharper ones inside that one could only see when this close, and when he was opening his maw like the way he was now. Batter found this a little scary as he was drawn into the mouth, he was afraid Dedan might bite down, though he clearly wouldn’t. Not wanting to see what might possibly happen, he had shut his eyes while the Guardian brought their faces together the closest they have ever been. Having no lips meant that the traditional little kiss was impossible for him, so that is why he always had bumped his head against Batter, it was the best he could do, until now. Hesitantly, Dedan had pulled Batt’s mouth open, slipping in tongue and pulling the smaller other closer to him. It was a little awkward for both of them, Dedan hoping he wasn’t going too fast, and Batter unsure about the feeling of having a long tongue being shoved down his throat. Each one could feel the Purifier start to melt like butter, Dedan having to hold him up so Batter didn’t just slip down by accident. Pulling away was just as weird, the two needing to catch their breath, mostly Batt, as he was the one having something shoved into his mouth. The larger man took his hands away, folding them together as he heaved gently.

“I…”  
He had to wheeze and take some more breaths before he could even start to talk again, watching the small other wipe his mouth off and look over at him.  
“I LIKE YOU A LOT. THAT’S ALL I’LL SAY. WE AREN’T ANYTHING BECAUSE NEITHER OF US HAVE REALLY SAID ANYTHING. IT’S BEEN JUST A LONG TWO WEEKS OF TENSION BETWEEN US WITH NO SPOKEN FEELINGS UNTIL NOW.”  
He heavily exhaled again, running a hand over his head and groaning.  
“SO.. I HOPE THAT ALL ANSWERS EVERYTHING.”

“...Yes, it does.”  
The tram came to a screeching halt, a loud ding sounding as the doors huffed open, sighing as they set into place with a hydraulic sigh. The station was nicely lit, not a single living soul in sight. Batter stood up, a small smile on his face he felt he couldn’t really help.  
“I think we should get going now, we have another ride to catch to get back home.”

The rest of the journey home was quiet again, neither were ready to talk about what just happened, and Batter had to figure out his feelings before he decided to really bring it up. He had a hunch that this might end with him saying something like “I like you a lot as well,” but not tonight. Tomorrow would be another chance to watch for Zacharie coming back, maybe it will be just as nice.


	8. Nothing Lost, Nothing Gained

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It appears to be a normal day, until Batter has to go Purify some Spectres in the mines.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Tw(s): suggestive NSFW, food mentions, Hospitalization

Mornings are always so cold, it makes the hairs on the back of one's neck stand up, chills their throat with every breath. Dedan has said that it's usually never this cold, it just means the rainy season is coming to a close, and things are about to get much, much colder. The rivers of meat thicken up during these cold times, making it harder to move pedalos through, but it was worth it to catch the first morning sunlight. In the morning the spectres in the river tend to attack less, but by the time the sun is fully up they are awake. Batter has never minded the need to go through them after sitting out there in the morning, resting with Dedan was worth it to him. The Guardian was warm, and so was the sun. It was a warm place in the morning to start waking up, he always felt so groggy on cold mornings, but Dedan told him it was because of his need for external heat, and that Batter has to be careful. Get stuck somewhere cold, and he will end up taking a nap where he shouldn’t. Which, Batter supposes Dedan is quite right. His need for heat outside of himself can put him in dangerous situations now that things are getting much colder than before.

“TODAY IS GOING TO GET PRETTY COLD,” the Guardian said, “MAYBE YOU SHOULD STAY AT MY OFFICE TODAY, ITS MUCH WARMER. SPECTRES HAVE BEEN ON A SHARP DECLINE, YOU SHOULD TAKE A BREAK. YOU HARP ON ME TO TAKE ONE, BUT YOU NEED ONE YOURSELF.”  
He was always so concerned about Batter, it made Batter smile sometimes. It was sweet how much he cared, even if he tried to hide the full extent to how he cares. Batt could always tell through how Dedan touched him that he cared a whole lot, gentle caressing and hugging him to his own body, those soft head-bumps he always gave, that Batter’s puppeteer said are probably kisses because Dedan has no lips. He knew the Guardian cared a whole lot, it was sweet of him to get this invested in someone he was about to kill their first day meeting.

“Perhaps tomorrow, there are a few places I want to visit today because I have heard rumours of spectres causing trouble. I have heard that elsens think that there is a spectre deep in the mines, luring miners to their death with cries of help. I want to purify it before it causes too much damage-”

“YOU KNOW THAT THE LOWER MINES ARE UNSTABLE, RIGHT? IF YOU GO DOWN THERE YOU HAVE TO BE CAREFUL, IT’S PRONE TO CAVE-INS. SOMETIMES WHEN WE BLAST INTO A POCKET OF SMOKE, IT SETS OFF A CHAIN REACTION THAT COLLAPSES PARTS OF THE MINE. I DON'T WANT YOU GETTING HURT, BATTER.”  
Dedan cupped Batter's face in one of his giant hands, pressing his “mouth” to the small Purifier's forehead, grumbling lowly.   
“YOU COULD GET SERIOUSLY HURT, I MEAN IT. I DON'T WANT YOU SUDDENLY GETTING HURT SO CLOSE TO WHEN ZACH COMES BACK, I MADE A PROMISE AND I'M KEEPING IT.”  
Hugging the smaller man, Dedan kept Batter close for a bit as they both sat in silence for a bit. Batter was taking in Dedan's extra heat, as he was always so warm and it felt nice to just cuddle up to him and stay there.

“I know you are concerned, but I will be fine, I am always very careful. I need to purify it before it becomes a bigger problem. I am sure you understand, right?”  
Rubbing his face a tad into the larger man's neck, Batter pulled away for a second, waiting for the pedalo to stabilize again before continuing.  
“I will come right back after. If you want, I can hang out at your office with you for a while, will that make you feel better?”

“WHAT WILL MAKE ME FEEL BETTER IS YOU NOT GOING DOWN TO THOSE LOWER LEVELS OF THE MINE, THEY ARE JUST WAITING TO COLLAPSE. WHY DON'T I GET US BREAKFAST TODAY, WE DON'T HAVE TO GET TO WORK RIGHT AWAY ALL THE TIME, IF YOU INSIST ON GOING DOWN THERE, I'M GOING TO TAKE YOU OUT FOR SOMETHING TO EAT FIRST.”  
Dedan hugged Batter back to him, holding him even closer this time as he held him firmly. Grumbling under his breath, he pressed his head to Batters again and didn't let go of his small friend.  
“YOU AREN’T GOING ANYWHERE TODAY UNLESS YOU LET ME DO THAT. WE CAN SIT HERE HOWEVER LONG IT TAKES, I'M FINE WITH MISSING A DAY OF WORK, BUT I BET YOU ARE ITCHING TO GO DO WHAT YOU DO MORE THAN I AM.”  
There was silence as Batter huffed, grumbling lowly to himself

“Okay, fine. I will let you take me out for some food this morning, but afterwards I do plan on doing my job.”  
Batter twisted himself awkwardly so he could press his face against Dedans, trying to mimic what he often does to him as a sign of affection. Dedan picked Batt up, swinging him around to sit in his lap, facing him. He cupped Batter's face again, staring at him for a bit before resting his free hand on Batter's leg, moving in to give more than just a peck this time. Batter pulled his head away quickly and scrunched his face up, clearly uncomfortable, so the Guardian pulled away and just patted his head.

"ALRIGHT, FINE. I CAN'T STOP YOU, BUT PLEASE BE CAREFUL OKAY? I CANT RUSH OVER TO SAVE YOU IF YOU GET INTO ANY SHIT, SO YOU HAVE TO BE EXTRA CAREFUL. A CAVE IN COULD HAPPEN AND YOU COULD GET STUCK AND NO ONE WOULD KNOW! SO YOU HAVE TO BE CAUTIOUS, YOU'LL DIE IF YOU DON'T."  
Dedan rested his hands on Batters shoulders, gently rubbing his thumbs on him. He looked as concerned as he could with a face like his, luckily the Purifier knew well enough how to read the large oaf. With another, slightly longer head press to Batters forehead, Dedan let out a big sigh and hugged his colourless companion.  
"JUST DONT DIE ON ME SO FUCKING SOON, ONCE ZACH GETS BACK THEN YOU CAN, IF YOU FUCKING MUST, BUT AT LEAST BE CAREFUL UNTIL ZACHARIE IS BACK, I TOLD HIM I WOULD KEEP YOU ALIVE AND I PLAN ON FOLLOWING THAT."  
With a nice little squeeze, he let go and put his hands over his friends arms, that worried look still there.

"I will be fine, I promise. Your concern is quite nice, but I will be fine."  
Batter gave Dedan a small grin and patted his face, trying to get him to soften up a little.  
"Why don't we go before we are on a packed tram, hm? I don't like being surrounded by so many elsens, believe it or not… It is rather… hm.."  
He paused, tapping his chin. He wasn't sure of the word he should use here, but thankfully his puppeteer friend is able to tell him what word he wants.  
"Claustrophobic. It makes everything very uncomfortable."

"ALRIGHT, LET'S GO NOW THEN. IT GETS PACKED FAST IN THE MORNING, BECAUSE OF THE SHIFT CHANGE."  
Not enough elsens traveled to Alma often enough to warrant the amount of tram activity other areas of Zone 1 have. Elsens that work in Alma tend to stay there most of the time, as the tall walls make it safer against the normal spectres, but the ones in the rivers of meat are not protected against. The river is enclosed and has simulated currents, helping to keep the river levels the same to help prevent overflowing. Over the past few years, Dedan had to make upgrades and repairs to the fountain, the job of having to bottle all the meat so it doesn’t overflow was quite stressful, to the point that he was losing good workers over the stress. Workers still have to bottle from the fountain, but the need to was never that urgent anymore, and only on days where the meat is a little too high, on days where it is below a set line all along the river, they are told not to bottle at all. Instead of the river being the last stop, Dedan had to connect the river to a meat plant to have them bottle it. Though, now because it has to travel more, the moving currents would help make the meat lighter and more easy to transport through pipes. Some may enjoy the thicker meats, so that is why elsens are still instructed to bottle from it. With no real shortage of workers, working around problems became a lot easier, but also a little harder if you have to make sure they can all work comfortably. Zone 2’s crisis wasn’t a simple solve, but the fact that the guardian did it impressed Batter quite a bit, as Dedan was able to make a very nice impression with his Zone.

The cultures from the two different Zones were able to find a way to work together, creating somewhere that looks very functional, and relies on everyone striving for the same goal; Which isn’t that hard if all your people have severe anxiety built into them. Dedan had managed to create a Zone as safe as he could with what he had, given he had to pick up the slack of the others or else they would all start to sink in a sea of problems that could have been avoided. Perhaps the crushing stress of carrying the rest of the world on your back because your so called “friends” had stopped doing their jobs right was almost more than he could handle for as long as he did. Batter believed that Dedan had the right to be angry at the other guardians, as it's not very responsible to be refusing to care for your people correctly, plus, Batter just had a very bad feeling about Zone 3, he felt like something was very wrong. The fact that no one had talked to anyone from there in so long struck the wrong cord with him. Forget being salty over your elsens not showing you loud acts of affection for providing them the bare minimum they would need to be mentaly and physically well, not letting anyone in or out sounded a lot worse, as whatever could be happening inside is up to the imagination, and the imagination isn’t very kind.

Elsens from Zone 2 were a big contrast from the ones that have always been a resident of the first Zone, even sometimes down to what they do, and don't fear. Citizens of Zone 1 were more often than not, not very fearful of bovine, especially the ones constantly dealing with them. Sure, their common disposition is full of fright constantly, but they are a lot less nervous than their Zone 2 counterparts. Those from Zone 2 will always try to avoid having to cross a busy street to avoid cattle, while those originally from Zone 1 seem to care quite a bit less about when they cross, as long as it looks relatively safe. Zone 2 residents tend to ignore birds, or be more alright with feeding them up close, while Elsens here are not used to birds, and thus tend to be more interested, but afraid of them. It was a nice seeing how they interacted, Batter always found looking at their differences nice, not that identification between the Zones elsens is too necessary, a lot of things that have happened had no real purpose, so perhaps the little joys are something to be cherished. Like the Trams in the morning, how the sun is usually behind him at an uncomfortable angle and makes the back feel really warm. Not the good warm where it's just touching you, but the kind where you've been touching something warm for so long that it almost starts to burn. Except it does burn you, very, very badly, and very slowly. 

The leather seats were uncomfortably hot, as the sun had not gotten high enough to hide behind the clouds that speckled the sky today. The usual hushed murmurs and wheezes of the passengers had grown into groans and whispered complaints.

"It's real-lly hot today... I hope it c-c-cools down."

"It's-It's uh... probably going to rain, it always rains after heat like this..."

"That means tonight will be cold.."

"I've heard that they are already g-gett-getting els-elsens ready to de-ice the roa-roads when it gets colder..."

"This is the-the most uh.. extreme weather we-w-we have had in-in a while, I wonder if the uh.. the boats will still be running if it gets too cold."

"I uh- I have a friend who- who works on the uh. Fishing boats… I've uh, I've heard from him that the uh.. the boats have been frosting at night, they uh.. they-they say that it's been messing with the uh… the… stuff. On the uh, boat. They uh- they just might.."  
The same workers ride their train to work each morning, they clearly had made good friends with each other for a car so small. Usually Batter would be sitting on the seats, but today Dedan helped hide him in his coat, an arm secretly over him. He was only secretly affectionate in public, barely strong gestures, but that's what's comfortable for both of them. Today though, Batter was more than happy to be held, it was just that sort of day, not that he would say anything about it. Dedan and him had silently agreed that if the other isn't expressing any signs of no, that it doesn't mean yes, but more so means prod around for a better answer. The Guardian was very respectful, so it had seemed to work no issue. Of course, there was the odd moment where Batter would find himself okay one second, and teeth sunk into his friend the next. Dedan said it didn't bother him, and he understood that Batter didn't mean to do it, saying something about PTSD that he didn't really listen to. It sounded silly, nothing he could ever have. Though, he would have to admit that biting your friends isn't normal.

The tram bumped along in a rhythmic matter, coming up to its first stop. Usually Batter and Dedan would get off here and take another one to his office, but today they were going to stop here for a bit. Their stop was near the water plantation and the city it resided next to. They were going to eat somewhere special, as the Guardian already had something to do here today, so he was going to try to do it all a little earlier. Batter had no issue with this, it just meant more time with him. He enjoyed his time with him, like he enjoyed watching all the elsens pile off. When the tram came to a slow halt, the workers would all stand up and move towards the doors, rushing out of them and to their shifts. Dedan and him were last coming out, though he preferred that because he hated crowds, they made him so uneasy, all those people around him trying to go places. It wasn't fun, and never was going to be fun. That was one thing Dedan had a hard time cutting down, traffic. It all seemed to work though, all in a well oiled machine that's unsure where the oil even comes from. It looked chaotic at times, but it was more of that controlled chaos, like watching ants flee after pouring water down their hill. There were unspoken rules on how to act when, something everyone seemed to agree on, but Batter had obviously missed the meeting they had all decided this. Which probably didn't actually happen, he had no clue how they all formed some silent agreement on what you can and can't do, nor did he really know those rules. It tended to make him feel a disconnect between him and the elsen, while he had kinship to them through biology, that was about the only thing he really knew he had in common. He was a lot more rough around the edges, he wouldn't hesitate to throw hands with something if he had to, pain wasn't really a problem to him either. Sure, it hurt, lots of things hurt, but he just didn't seem to have that self-preservation built into him like they did. He was quite clumsy with his own life actually, that's why he had to have his puppeteer constantly around, because otherwise he would overwork himself and be his own demise. It wouldn't be a good idea to die in the first Zone, he had gotten too far to willingly let himself go down just yet. Though he often puts himself in hard places by accident, due to his inability to recognize when he needs help. Perhaps it wasn't the fact that he ignored pain, but more of a fact that he just didn't feel it as badly. After that first day, nothing really did hurt as bad as that. It could be that he hasn't gotten into that bad of a position again, but Batter feels like that isn't the case, maybe he just isn't that great with processing how he feels, internally and externally. Then again, he isn't great at processing how anyone feels, the inherent emotional gap between him and others always makes him feel weird, like he doesn't quite belong. He seemed to fit in just fine, but at the same time, as nice as things were, there was always the innate feeling that he didn't fully fit. Maybe he was just being a little dramatic, it couldn't be that bad. Dedan helped him fit in the best he can, maybe he just isn't fully fit for much other than smashing things with his bat; that, or he hasn't done anything besides that so naturally he will feel it is the only possible thing he can do. Maybe he is also just overthinking, that is very much a possibility.

The bustling areas near the processing plant tended to specialize in things to do with the water. Restaurants sold a lot more soups here, it was home to most of the laundromats, and even a lot of tailors. They liked to wash the wool harvested from the special bovine in the waters here, be it a preference or an actual difference that makes the colours of the clothes turn out brighter, not like Batter had the ability to really tell the difference between a lot of subtle colours anyways. The soup kitchens here were popular with these elsen's, soups were started in the morning, and by the time dinner rolled around, they had been cooking all day and the flavour of the soup had a good chance to steep into everything. Of course, they would add more water and ingredients, but they liked to keep what was in the pot last time for flavour. Dedan had said before that it was pretty good, and he enjoyed going there from time to time, especially on Wednesdays where they always make noodles for the soups for this one particular soup kitchen he really liked to visit sometimes. Going to public eateries was always under the guise of inspections, which all of them usually pass with flying colours, but really he just liked what his elsens could come up with. With Batter, he had no reason to pass such visits off as inspections, just taking his friend out to eat was enough of a reason. Actually being with Batter and getting him something was the only way he could get him to really eat, as The Purifier had a bad tendency to forget to care for himself, he was always too busy thinking about anything other than his own health and safety, and had to be reminded of them often. In all honesty, Dedan gets very fed up with having to remember to get Batter to do these things, but it helped if he just did them with him. Of course there's always that chance that this would make Batter dependent on Dedan to remind him of these things, but the Guardian didn't really seem to mind all that much, he had gotten used to it by now, and suddenly not having to do that would feel odd at this point. The fact that he will have to let Batter go back with Zach after this was actually a little upsetting to him, he had grown attached to the thick-skulled man, he had started to find some of the small things in him charming, even though Batt for sure didn't actually realize he does some of the things he does.

Batter never really seemed to reflect on himself, but rather he was always off thinking of other things, whatever they may be. He always had a little bit of a Resting Bitch Face, but if Dedan was in Batters shoes, he probably would too. It really made him enjoy the moments where he could actually catch a grin on the man, as rare as it could be at times, when Batter is actually expressive it comes to be a big relief. The Guardian found it so tricky to actually figure out what he might be thinking, he was always pondering some of the oddest things, but one couldn't blame him, he's a dude of action, taking a step back to relax only makes him more stressed out. Then again, beating spectres with a bat seems it might be pretty therapeutic, at least for Batter. Dedan preferred to calm down with going around his Zone, but with the previous spectre problems it never really turned out well.

Perhaps some of the most peaceful moments in Dedan's opinion, had to be the meals they shared, Batter was always very quiet, but he could always tell that the Purifier was listening. One could tell that he was listening by the way he would space out while eating, though he looks like he isn't paying attention, he could always add onto the conversation or ask questions when he looked like that. It was a specific look, a soft glare from under the blacked out section his hat constantly made. It wasn't his fault he looked so menacing, Dedan figured. Batter just didn't really make many expressions, he has always had a cold stare that made you think he might be mad, but in reality he was probably thinking about birds or something. In reality, most likely Batter wasn't really even aware of the face he was making all the time.

The elsens would often give Batter extra space, or just try to avoid him because of his scary looks, but they were never hesitant to ask him for favours unlike Dedan, where they were all less likely to ask him for help at all, unless it was something very important. Dedan didn't have much more but himself to blame, as his outwardly rage didn't make him very approachable with his loud, screechy voice and whatnot, it wasn't that pleasant to speak with him. Batter had always made an effort to be gentle with his voice, more often than not he was just as quiet as they were, so perhaps that helped his case, but Dedan was unsure if he could actually help the volume of his voice, as mumbling was an issue Batt struggled with, sometimes he's a little too quiet and just forgets to speak up. For how observant he was, actually telling people what he saw was his weak point. Dedan never really minded Batters small quirks, he himself was odd so he couldn't speak. Plus, he just enjoyed the man's company too much to really complain, it was the tiny things that made the Purifier feel like he was more than just the bland outside. 

Traffic today was just the same as any other day, bovine already out carrying carts behind them filled with either goods or elsens, sidewalks cramped as the little men walked in and out of stores or rushed to their job. The chatter that filled the streets was a droning mumble as each man tried their best to keep their voice to a small hush, the common background sound aside from the clopping of hooves against the colourful plastic path. All paths like this were created out of larger chunks of plastic harvested from the ocean floor, they often came in all sorts of bright colours, Batter felt it brought the downtown areas together, made them look a lot nicer, especially the chunks that had a gentle shimmer to them. A lot of things had colour, Elsens would create paint from ground plastic and use it to decorate the inside and outside, unlike workplaces they could paint and decorate their businesses to their heart's content, and many did a good job. Dedan was quite fond of the decoration of a certain restaurant, they had themed themselves off the docks and did quite a nice job of it. Sure, some may find some of the decorations a little morbid, as they had taxidermy birds on display, but Dedan liked it for that reason. Whoever decided that was going to be their job or hobby had gotten very good at it. Personally, Batter found it a tad weird, but he had to admire the craftsmanship that goes into them, recreating something like that had to take a stomach of steel, so one would assume whoever wanted it as their hobby probably worked with dissecting the cows or removing the metal balls from them, but since it was birds, Batter assumed it had to be an elsen from Zone 2, as they are the only ones that will approach birds up close or even touch them. A lot of businesses get clever with their decoration, one establishment that specialized in beefy foods used the long horns cut off from cattle after death for table legs and some of the shorter ones as chair legs, but those made Batter a little nervous to sit on as he was worried they might just snap under him, he had no logical reason to think that, other than horns probably not being that strong, but Dedan was able to sit on them just fine so he never really spoke up about it. The food there was quite good, the Guardian would always take him there in the mornings, as they had good breakfast dishes. One of the more popular ones among the workers had to be the one with the strips of back meat, it was cooked in some leftover soup from the previous night, which was made into a thick sauce and the both paired with noodles they would make each morning. The work that was actually put into the foods, Dedan and Batter had to find pretty impressive. Food was one of the cultural staples of Zone 1, while Zone 2 was more about commercialism and had many products it produced, but not many raw materials. The mall of Zone 2 was a good tourism attraction, as well as Zacharie’s theme park, making drawing Elsens into the Zone the biggest thing it really did. Zone 2 had changed quite a bit since Dedan had last visited, Batter was always being told by the exchange workers that the Zone was quite pretty actually, not that this one wasn't, but since the disappearance of Japhet, and Zone 1’s need to export some of the cattle manure, the elsens of Zone 2 had managed to use the little space all their buildings gave them for growing plants, most of the time they were either grown in tall boxes in the housing area’s, sort of like a communal garden, other times they were hidden around the Zone because rain often washed the waste into the gutters, which would get the “soil” to other places across the Zone. It wasn’t the best smelling, Batter was often told, but it was apparently a nice sight. He heard that one of the most common plants had to be ones with vines that they would grow on their balcony, the vines would fall down and grow downwards, having to trim them had become an issue because they liked to grow so fast. The only real, raw export they had was the only edible plant they were able to grow, a plant that often had to have the soil topped so it could grow more. It produced a small, sort of round but often very lumpy, and very starchy vegetable, and because of their small size was often cut into four quarters. They were quite expensive to buy, as the export of them was quite rare seeing as the plant was pretty new and the Zone 2 elsens were still messing around with breeding the plants to their content. It wasn’t unheard of for Zone 1 eateries to have the plant in the menu, but anything with them was much more expensive, as the cost of even importing them had to be covered. Zone 1 more often than not got the surplus, making it not as expensive as they could be, but the rarity of them will always drive up the price. Most of the time they were just diced and added into dishes like soup or were fried in fish oil, seeing as it was the most easily obtained oil for frying things.

Eating out had started to become a tradition of theirs, Dedan liked taking Batter out to places to show him some of the many wonders his Zone had to offer, and Batter enjoyed the sight seeing. The Zone was quite diverse, and for that exploring it rarely got old. Today he wasn’t able to explore as much though, he had important places to be after breakfast, but they would get there when they got there. For now, Dedan and him were able to take their time eating. Batter found the whole process rather awkward, but perhaps he just isn't used to the need to consume yet, two weeks isn't a very long time to be alive. For only being around two weeks, things have moved quite quickly, he must admit.

“WHAT ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT.”  
The both of them had been sitting in silence for a while, Batter had clearly not been paying attention for the past while, more so off in his own head once more, almost to the point he had completely forgotten that he was in a public area, more specifically, the restaurant with the fancy tables, as Dedan had a liking to the breakfasts there, and it was close enough to the office anyways that he didn't mind stopping there for a past few days.   
“YOU HAVE BEEN SPACED OUT FOR A WHILE, IT MUST BE SOMETHING INTERESTING, AS USUAL. YOU ALWAYS HAVE SOME WEIRD THOUGHT BOUNCING AROUND THAT SKULL OF YOURS, DON'T YOU?”

“I have many thoughts about many things all the time, yes. For right now though, I am thinking about cows... You guys use them for pretty much everything, I am impressed with just how much you can get from those things. You even find a use for the bones, albeit usually they aren’t in one piece because of how anxious the elsens are. I think it is still pretty cool. I am also thinking about how you make your clothes from them as well. Be it leather or the wool you harvest from those special ones, it's all quite nice. Also, I have been wondering how you make those furry cows last so long, the other ones get massive balls of metal in their stomachs, wouldn't that kill them? That doesn’t seem very healthy for them.”  
Interesting topic indeed, Dedan had found himself chuckling at the slight absurdity of the thought, although it was a valid question that he had asked.

“THE BALLS OF METAL FORM BECAUSE OF THEIR DIET, IT’S HIGH IN IRON. ITS LIKE A STUPID CIRCLE, THE CATTLE EAT THE WILD PLANTS, THE PLANTS ARE HIGH IN IRON SO THE CATTLE GET A LOT OF IT, AND A LOT PASSES OUT THEIR FUCKING BACK END, WHICH THEN THE PLANTS USE IT TO GROW, AND BECAUSE OF THE HIGH IRON CONTENT IN WHAT THEY GROW, THEY GET A LOT OF IRON IN THEM, AND THE CYCLE CONTINUES. WE HAVE ACTUALLY HAD TO DEVELOP SURGERY FOR THE WOOLY COWS, IT HELPS THEM LAST LONGER AND HELPS US GET MORE FROM THEM. IT'S NOT A SIMPLE PROCEDURE, BUT IT WORKS REAL WELL.”

“Ah, I see. I can’t imagine the workers enjoy that too well… Seems very gorey.”  
Batter scrunched up his nose at the thought of that much blood and guts, not to mention having to reach inside. Blood was uncomfortably warm to him, he wouldn't be able to stand doing that, the sounds and texture of it all would drive him nuts. He is glad he doesn’t have to do that.

“NO, IT'S NOT REALLY ALL THAT FUN, NONE OF THE ELSENS WHO WORK IN THE MEDICAL FIELD FIND IT ALL THAT FUN… TICKETS AND JOKERS ARE NICE AND ALL, BUT SOMETIMES YOU REALLY NEED MEDICAL ATTENTION OVER USING A FEW OF THOSE, THAT'S WHY YOU HAVE SO MANY SCARS, USING THEM TENDS TO HAVE THAT EFFECT.”  
Dedan glanced over Batter, a slight squint coming to his eyes as he reached over their table and took one of Batt’s hands in his, looking it over closely.  
“I'M SURPRISED YOU DON'T HAVE MORE SCARS. WELL, NOTICEABLE ONES AT LEAST. THEN AGAIN, IT'S NOT HARD TO COVER ALL OF THEM FOR YOU, IS IT? THAT OUTFIT HAS TO GET WARM BATTER, IT COVERS A LOT OF YOU.”

“You have forgotten that I need the external heat, Dedan. It is quite comfy, in fact it gets rather cold at times. I get cold easily, I need my clothes to be warm. Clearly you have no issue with heat, you have more than enough to pass around, it's no wonder you have your coat open all the time.”  
The Purifier gave a small grin and a little snort, staring at his dish and poking at it idly. Having someone around who makes a lot of jokes tends to help with developing a sense of humour, though making jokes just felt odd to him, it didn't feel quite right, he felt awkward. Dedan gave a quiet chortle and patted him on the head, smiling had he even had the means to. It was more in the eyes, his smile, that's how it was for most emotions, so Batter had a little bit of a hard time reading him.

“YEAH, I DID FORGET THAT, DIDN’T I? WELL I HAVE MORE THAN ENOUGH HEAT FOR THE BOTH OF US, SO I GUESS WE KNOW WHY WE GET ALONG SO WELL, IF OPPOSITES ATTRACT THEN WE MUST BE PRETTY FUCKING CLOSE THEN. NOT THAT I WASN’T ALREADY AWARE OF THAT, THESE PAST FEW WEEKS HAVE BEEN…”

“Lovely. They have been lovely, I am quite fond of this Zone, I might have to say it is my favourite, despite it being one of the only true Zones that I have seen. I like what you have done here, you are a very responsible man from what I can tell, not everyone can help fix a crisis in another Zone.”  
Batter grabbed one of Dedan’s fingers, pulling his hand over to him and pressing his face against the back of it, trying to mimic the action that the Guardian does so often. Batt could tell that Dedans temperature had jumped higher as he did that, a low, scratchy grumble coming from the Guardian. There was a moment of silence as Dedan glanced at their surroundings, gauging how many people were around to determine how to react. With the few people actually inside, he decided the most appropriate action was to slip his hands around Batters face and bring each other to touch, holding his face against Batters for a few seconds before letting go and huffing.

"THANK YOU, BATTER…"  
His voice lowered as he leaned back into his chair and crossing his arms, looking away in what seemed to be embarrassment.  
"YOU'RE WELCOME TO COME AND STAY WITH ME ANYTIME. YOU ALWAYS HAVE A HOME HERE."  
Patting his buddy once more, Dedan gently pulled Batters hand up to his face, bumping it gently before letting it go.  
"ANYWAYS. WE NEED TO GET GOING, I DON'T WANT TO FALL BEHIND TODAY. DO YOU WANT TO COME TO THE OFFICE WITH ME BEFORE YOU GO TO THE MINES TODAY?"

"Ah, yes, I would love to."  
Batter had pulled his hat down to cover his face more, unsure what his exact feelings were at the moment. He always got oddly warm when Dedan would do things like that, he had a hard time staying his stoic self when he did that, but not knowing how to react made him try to hide whatever emotion he might feel. Being in private helped him feel better about letting loose a little.

"OKAY, WAIT OUTSIDE FOR ME, I'LL PAY."  
Dedan palmed at Batt's cheek before he got up to leave, nodding in agreement of what the Guardian said.

"Alright, I'll be by the doors then."  
Swiftly rushing out the doors quietly, he would stand by the doors to wait, leaning against a small part of the wall between the window and the frame. He knew that Dedan wouldn't take too long, he never really did unless he got held up. The man always had made an effort to try to get there in time, Batter had always found that a tad charming in a way. The comfort of knowing he was dependable was nice, it made him feel safe while with him. Maybe today he might have to cut some of the inspections short, all he was planning was the mines and a few of the cattle farms as well as a couple barns, but the idea of getting a little more time in with the Guardian before who knows what happens, was a nice feeling idea.

A hand cupped Batters face, breaking him from his train of thought as they pressed their face to his. Dedan, of course. No one else did that but him, and today he seemed to be feeling a little extra affectionate.   
"Ready?"   
Batter asked as he rubbed his cheek against the palm before they broke away. At this point, returning the physical affection was natural to him.

"YEAH, LETS GO. ITS NOT FAR FROM HERE."

By now, traffic had died down and the streets were a little more empty, the previous background noises settling to nothing but the sounds of workers and cattle passing by and going to their destination. The stench the cows had got stronger closer to the office, as it was near the barns, and those had a strong smell to them. It was tolerable, so they never had to have masks to cover it, unlike the meat factories that had to be built. Zone 1's habit of keeping everything related in close areas had the office be placed near the middle of most of the Zones hot spots, for optimization reasons. The sheer size of the building was… It made Batter quite nervous, he often worried it could easily tip over. Dedan always assured him that it was fine, that it had been built to stand high winds and strong waves, but it never stopped him from wondering "what if."

The office Dedan had himself wasn't all that nice or fun, it was organized and had a LOT of file cabinets, boxes full of papers, and he had even made a make-shift bed for the nights he used to stay there because he had so much paperwork to do. Perhaps the most odd thing about it had to be the clocks that the man had collected and hung up all over the room. They looked nice, some looking very old, but they were ALL one second apart. None were ticking in time with each other, it was like a perfect harmony of disharmony. They were all out of tune with each other in the perfect way. It was quite odd, but he never decided to really speak about it. They didn't speak about a lot, actually. They said a lot, yet nothing to each other at the same time. There was a lot they knew, and yet so much more they both still had to find out. It was a weird middle ground, like almost being in sync with a dance partner, but neither of you seem to be totally in step yet. It was a process, and one Batter didn't mind at all, he enjoyed his time with the Guardian, it was always quite nice. He would have to return here after he finishes his mission. 

A lot of time spent at the office together was mostly Dedan having Batter sit in his lap while he worked. The first few days they spent together they were awkward, but quickly got into the habit. These days, the Guardian held Batter while at the office, often getting distracted by his work because he wanted to be physically affectionate. His want to be affectionate had grown as they spent time together, he started to feel frustrated at the cravings he got towards the Purifier, scared even. Scaring him away by moving too fast wasn’t something he wanted to do, he would never purposefully hurt him now that he's actually gotten attached, but the urge to do certain things really clouded his mind often. The Guardian couldn’t hold Batter close enough to him to settle the thoughts, usually it just made them worse, and at this point he wasn’t sure if Batter being uncomfortable with him because of this would be more terrifying, or if he got curious and actually went along would. He liked Batter a lot, keeping him safe meant a lot to him now, more than just a promise, and perhaps the most horrifying thing to him right now had to be the moment on the tram. He had taken a leap, and as far as he could tell it was all okay, Batter had seemed to enjoy it, and that was what he was afraid of; because he enjoyed it too. Dedan felt a strange fear over enjoying that moment and wanting more, part of it was the fear of rejection, but most of it was the irrational fear of the feelings being mutual. He couldn’t explain it, other than maybe a hidden shame for his feelings, unsure completely as to why. He wanted so much more from this, he could barely think of much else when they were together. He couldn’t think of much else when he woke up today, the memory of what had gone down that night still played in his head, Dedan would have gone farther that night had he not gotten so scared at the last moment. Sure, he wasn’t lying when he told Batter that he wasn’t scared of the elsens judging him, they had nothing to judge him for that he cares about, they are all too anxious to do anything anyways so why should he even give it a thought? Why should he still care now? Maybe he is just too scared, the both of them are much more awake right now, and the office is a nice, quiet place. It’s somewhere safe, he shouldn’t worry about being too open anymore, it's all okay, right?

“Hey Dedan? You okay?”  
Batter tugged on his hand gently, they had come all the way up to Dedan's office and he had stopped after the door had closed. The Guardian hadn’t moved in a few, and it had started to concern Batt. The walk was quiet, but he hadn’t noticed that as he was off in his own head, but the ticking of the clocks, and Dedan’s sudden freezing had snapped him back. The larger man looked at him before slowly glancing around the room, his eyes squinting.

“WE’RE HERE ALREADY?”  
He sounded confused, like he didn’t realize where he was until now. Batter took his hand and gave a soft frown, pressing the back of his palm to his cheek.

“Yeah, you just sort of stopped. Is everything alright today?”  
He pushed his cap up a bit, the shade stopping just under his eyes. The Guardian scooped Batt up and moved over to his chair, plopping down and holding him closer. There was a moment of silence that Batter tried to break by pressing his face to Dedan’s. 

“WERE YOU OKAY WITH WHAT HAPPENED ON THE TRAM, BATTER?”  
His voice had a strange waver to it, a deep scratch that sounded like it came from his chest rather than his throat. He held Batter closer, slightly curling around him as he sat.

“Pardon?”

“WHAT HAPPENED THAT NIGHT. I HAVEN’T BEEN ABLE TO STOP THINKING ABOUT IT. I…”  
As he choked on his words, The Purifier wriggled his way into a different position, a leg on either side of Dedan as he pushed the larger man straight with his own body.

“You want.. More?”  
Unsure of what that totally meant, he had a good feeling he was saying it right. Sliding his arms behind Dedan’s neck, he felt the mans hands nervously slide onto his sides. There was a very obvious and hard lump he had to try to sit on, he found what seemed to be the most comfortable way for both of them and held his position there as he waited for a response with baited breath.

“I… YEAH. I WANT MORE, BUT I'M AFRAID OF SCARING YOU OFF. YOU’RE THE FIRST MAN I'VE REALLY GOTTEN THIS CLOSE TO IN.. WHO KNOWS HOW FUCKING LONG.. I'M SCARED.”  
His voice was full of worry, he looked afraid. Batter grumbled a bit and pressed his face against Dedan’s neck, mumbling something that he hoped would make the Guardian feel better.

“...I took that tongue like a champ, I'm sure I can take other things like a champ as well.”  
Batters puppeteer told him to specifically use the word champ, said it would “make it a little funnier,” even if that’s not totally his thing. It seemed to work though, as Dedan slid his hands around his face and stared at him with his soft stare he usually gave him. They stared at each other for a while before anything happened, neither able to properly read the other. Dedan brought him up to his face, except he didn’t just bump heads this time. Opening his maw, the Guardian hesitantly brought Batter inside again for a more proper kiss. Batt felt strange as the others tongue coiled around his and slipped down his throat, the bulge pressing into him at a certain angle while the other had his tongue way down there gave him a weird feeling that made him very confused. He couldn't breathe, so he held his breath as he felt Dedan slip it down as far as he could before retreating. As they broke apart, they both took a moment to catch their breath.

"SORRY, I-"

"I liked it."  
Batter purposefully cut in, grabbing the others coat and pressing his lips against the man's shoulder, a deep, rumbling purr coming from him. He wanted to make the other feel okay, and the best way he could do that he assumed, was to show affection. The Guardian shuffled in his seat uncomfortably, sliding his hands down to Batt's sides and getting awkward. He had gripped Batter firmly at first, holding him down on his lap, but hearing The Purifier grunt oddly at the unfortunate thing in the way of him sitting normally, Dedan tried to hold Batter gently. He stumbled over words before finally making a sentence out.

"YOU HAVE WORK TO DO, DON'T YOU? WE BOTH HAVE THINGS WE HAVE TO DO, WE BETTER GET TO IT BEFORE WE FALL BEHIND."  
Dedan picked Batter up, putting him back on the ground before rolling his chair up to his desk. The room fell to a deathly silence as Dedan started to get to the stack of papers on his desk, The Purifier confused as to what just happened.

"Ah, uh. Yeah."  
Batter cleared his throat and looked away  
"I'll see you after I'm done in the mines, i'll try not to take too long."  
He gave the other a pat on the shoulder, hesitating before leaving. The air between them felt thick with unsaid words as Batt walked off, the only words being uttered as he went through the door being from Dedan

"STAY SAFE."

The moment left Batter feeling weird, the warmth they had shared fizzled away as he got further away from the secluded office Dedan sat at most of the time. They were getting somewhere, but the Guardian had quickly shut it all down just as it was getting better. Batt didn't understand why the other would feel so afraid, were they doing something wrong? Did he do something wrong? The fact that it ended that way was sort of upsetting, he didn't understand. Was Dedan not telling him something?

The mines weren't too far from here, in fact, he could get to them through the elevator in the office. It was a long ride down, and with the dead silence he had nothing but his thoughts; and his puppeteer who was usually pretty chatty, but he tended to ignore her in social situations. Talking to himself would seem a little weird he bet. He enjoyed her services and help, and he found a few of her jokes at least humorous, but really she was more of an aid than any real influence, he had most of the reins, and it felt odd. It was nice, but he also had no idea what to do with his time, other than purifying like he's made to do.

Way down under, the smoke mines were bustling with activity. Miners pushed huge metal carts on tracks, hauling the mess outside of the mines, while others seemed to be hauling carts full of something further into it. They had torches lit along the daunting hallways they were using, unused parts being blanketed in pure darkness. There had been recent reports of elsens going missing down there after following a cry they had heard somewhere within the darkened areas of the mineshafts. It was pretty important that he could find the culprit and purify them immediately, though he had no where to start. A good place might be to find screaming and follow it, but it was pretty busy around here. In an attempt to get it to reveal itself to him, Batter ventured down the dark corridors in hopes it would go for a seemingly easy meal. It had worked, because as soon as he could feel a sharp temperature drop after getting far enough away from the workers, he had heard it. It sounded familiar, but not in the way he had heard it before, but in the way that it sounded like a being like him crying out in pain. A sort of cry that makes you feel inclined to go after, an obvious lure. He felt like he wouldn't be so easily fooled by it, so he went after the sound, following the echo of its voice down into the depths.

It would only get colder as he went down, the walls losing their heat signature into a thick black of nothing, only the cry, and the light of his Add-on Alpha to guide him. Old shafts had collapsed, started to, or were left to rot in a state of disrepair. Water had a habit of gathering at the bottom of the mines, some branches having been flooded years ago. It had to be what felt like ages until something actually happened. He had followed the cry into a long, huge hallway that led to the entrance to yet another collapsed mineshaft from years passed. It was cold, old supports had started to bend and rust from holding up a failing ceiling, the whole area was tilted down, as water was collected over by the entrance, it was flooded for what looked like a while. Batter was nearly blind down here, and with no heat source, and the lower halls being freezing, grogginess had become a familiar face at this point. He had been sluggishly moving along the further he went down. The cries had become more desperate as he went further, but it had always stayed the same distance. Until now.

The Purifier stood in the middle of the broken corridor, bat touching the floor as he felt the whole room shift. The crying had suddenly stopped and everything fell to an eerie stop, everything except a strange shaking of the walls. It all clicked in when he heard the supports creak, one of them snapping and material starting to rain down. Batter had no time to think, he had to get out of there as fast as he could, it might give him the only chance he could get at not being crushed to death by Boulders. The nasty spectre that had lured him down here had shown its face, but Batter had only one thought, and that was to get out and run. Alpha was handy, helping to break debri flying for him so he was able to get himself farther before the whole place inevitably fell down on him. It all came crashing down in a matter of seconds as he tried to flee, eventually sending him onto the cold hard floor, unconscious.

When he woke up again, he couldn't see anything, it felt like he couldn't breath, everything was cold, except for a small hand he could feel on his face. Sure, it was still cold, but it was warmer than everything else, a little clammy as well. The voice attached to the hand on his face sounded panicked and hurt, his tone reflected his body from the sounds of it, shaky. 

"Y-Yes, he- he's still alive i-i just checked, I don't know for-for how l-lo-long though, I-I need help uncovering him, there's too many boulders, it's all too heavy."  
He sounded scared and frantic, but Batter had blacked out before he could hear more of the conversation. By the time he woke up again, the room had filled with paranoid shouting and he could breathe again, but it felt painful. It all felt painful, he couldn't move, he could barely hear, let alone see. It was all so loud, the ground was freezing, it was all so much, he didn't know what was going on. He could feel blood running down his head, that or it could have been water, he couldn't tell what anything was. Out of all the incomprehensible chaos, he suddenly felt a familiar heat scooping him up and holding him. It wiped at his eyes, giving him a chance to see. The warmth was none other than who he thought it was, Dedan. The Guardian looked scared as he held onto the smaller man, holding him tight as he rushed Batter to the medics waiting outside the closest exit to the mine.

"I'M HERE NOW, ITS ALL GOING TO BE OKAY."  
His voice cracked, something Batter hadn't heard him really do before. 

"But nothings wrong?"  
The Purifier had struggled to croak out the words, everything was going too fast for him to process, he couldn't tell what was going on. Dedan refused to look him in the face, and before he knew it, Dedan had put him down again, elsen's putting some strange, plastic mask over him that was blowing some sort of air.

"YOU'LL BE OKAY, I'LL BE THERE WHEN YOU GET UP AGAIN, I PROMISE."  
As the workers started to take Batter away, he felt a tired sense of panic, trying to reach out for the Guardian before his vision went black again, unconsciousness taking over once more.

The next moment he started to come to, the pain was greatly reduced, he still hurt, sure, but this time it wasn't so bad that he couldn't even realize how bad it was. The room was a lot less cold, and he seemed to be laying on his back this time, instead of his front and sprawled out on the cold, hard floor. Voices were able to be heard now as well, except there were only two, and one sounded like someone he hadn't heard in a while.

"YOU TOLD ME TO KEEP HIM SAFE, AND THIS JUST HAD TO FUCKING HAPPEN THE DAY YOU GET BACK. I KNEW THIS WOULD HAPPEN,. I SHOULDN'T HAVE LET HIM LEAVE MY OFFICE, THIS WOULDN'T HAVE FUCKING HAPPENED-"  
Dedan was cut off by the second man, who sounded much, much calmer than him.

"Monsieur Dedan, it is not your fault, you need to stop blaming yourself. You kept him alive, and THAT is what I said to do. Really, you've done your job."  
Zacharie had come back, this was all horrible timing.

"NOT HELPING, ZACH. WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO NOW? HE HASN'T WOKEN UP IN HOURS. IF I TOLD HIM TO STAY INSTEAD OF JUST-"  
He stumbled over his words, sounding genuinely upset, like he might have been even more upset before this. Zacharie gave a soft groan, foot taping on the ground quietly.

"I'm not sure,we should wait until mon ami Batter is feeling better, you need to relax and worry about one thing at a time. It's all going to be fine, he can take a lot and still pull through, this will feel like just an inconvenience to him most likely. You really mustn't worry so much Monsieur, it's bad for your health. This would have happened regardless of what you said. He would went down there no matter what, he's stubborn like that."  
Zach sounded a little irritated, but understanding over all. Dedan let out a low screech, the kind he always did when mad. 

They probably would of had an emotional moment, had Batter not needed to stretch. His movement already had attracted both of their gazes, but as soon as he had groaned in pain they knew he was awake. Just as quickly he caught their attention, Zach was over by Batters side, holding his one arm down gently.

"Ah- mon ami, don't move too much, okay? There's something in your arm, you can't move it."  
Zach gave a shocked look when Batter opened his eyes, quickly covering them with his other hand.  
"You- you don't have your hat on, we can see your eyes. I don't-I don't know if you want us to see them-"

"Whats wrong with them..?"  
Batter cut off zacharie, feeling a little insulted almost.

"Nothing, nothing at all mon ami, they are lovely, but I just-"  
He paused, then let out a slow sigh and pulled his hands away before sitting down on a chair next to the bed.  
"I had assumed that you wouldn't want us to see your eyes, because they had been hidden this whole time. I apologize, I probably shouldn't have assumed like that."

"Ah…"  
Batter paused to think.  
"I have never seen my own eyes before."

"Really? That's a shame."  
Zach got visibly nervous as Batter stared at him, Batt didn't understand why.  
"They really are quite, uh… they fit you. I am somehow surprised and not at the same time."  
He gave a quiet chuckle from behind the mask, the same calm composure he always had around him. Batter turned his head to the other side, looking at Dedan and grinning a bit

"I told you I'm okay."

"BEING OKAY AND BEING ALIVE AREN’T MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE."  
The Guardian pulled his chain closer and bumped his mouth on Batter's cheek.  
"BUT YES, YOU'RE JUST FINE. YOU'RE GOING TO BE OKAY, WE JUST NEED YOU TO REST, OKAY? YOU TOOK… YOU SURVIVED BEING CAVED IN ON. WHY THE FUCK WHERE YOU SO FAR DOWN? YOU KNOW YOU CAN'T BE DOWN THERE! I-"  
He groaned and doubled over Batter.  
"I'M HAPPY YOU'RE ALIVE, I WAS AFRAID THAT I DIDN'T GET THERE IN TIME."  
Pressing his face against the other again, Dedan sighed and held his position for a few seconds before retreating again.

"Do I have to leave the room?"  
Zacharie laughed as Dedan squinted at him, doing the irritated screech.  
"It's a joke, I'm sorry. You two have just gotten much closer than how I left you. I am glad this has helped you both."  
Zach stood up and walked over to Batter, placing a hand on his head and gently rubbing it.  
"Mon ami should get some rest, it's late. We can explain everything later, you need sleep. You need it too, Monsieur…. Let's go, he will be here in the morning, and we can come and see him again."  
He took his hand away and stepped from the bed, motioning for Dedan to follow.

"FINE..TRY TO BE GOOD FOR THEM BATTER, DON'T FREAK OUT TOO MUCH."  
Dedan pressed his head to him again and stood up, pushing his chair back to leave. Before they could get to the door, Batter broke into a short fit of laughter, cut off by a pained inhale and looking at them both with a wide grin.

"I think I should be the one telling you that."


	9. A Few Visitor's

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Batter is feeling unwell during his second day incapacitated, so his two friends visit him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter TW(s): food mentions, hospitization, general hospital stuff

Unlike the rest of the buildings in Zone 1, their hospitals remained dull, soft colours that were easy on the eyes. It was to create a calming environment, as those who ended up in there were usually very stressed because of it. Injuries were common in the mines, so the ones located around major entrances and exits had to have a large capacity. They didn't want to be underprepared for things that often go wrong in the mines, they were the ones standing between someone in critical condition dying and having a chance to survive. For Batter, had it not been there he would have for sure not have made it, so he had to be thankful for Dedans thinking ahead. That, or accidents happened too often so he needed to have them. Either way, it was the right call to make. 

He was placed in a room by himself, but he had a window so it could have been worse, a lot worse. Had Batter not moved fast, he could have been crushed to death, there was no way he could have made it through had it gone even slightly more wrong. Perhaps if he had stayed with Dedan a little longer, it wouldn't have happened, but it did happen, and now he just has to sort of live with it. It was odd, having to accept this as the new, temporary normal. Thinking too much hurt, even though they had put him on something to ease the pain, it never helped with how much his head hurt. The doctors couldn't do much without upping the dosage, and Batter was very against that.

"Why can't you take this out of me already, I'll be fine with the pain, I've felt worse I bet."  
Being bed ridden and forced to have his eyes out so much had him irritated by the second day already, he wasn't happy with this situation.

"I-I understand your discomfort with all of this, but please trust me when- when I tell you that you really can't… be ta-taken off of it. We-we already have you on the lowest we can go without bringing you too much pain. No-no one enjoys this, but it'll be all over before you know it if you let us do what we have to do.."  
They had to keep the lights off in his room, he would complain about them burning his eyes too much, none of the doctors seemed to like staring him in the face, was it his eyes? He would have to assume so, but he's never seen them before so he wouldn't even know.   
"Now- d-do you uh… do you think you can tell us how you got… I-in the situation that got you here yet?"  
The doctors kept asking that, Batter didn't understand why, and frankly it was starting to annoy him. Even if he would answer no, the medical nerds would scribble down on their little clipboards. His puppeteer would explain a lot of things for him, which he had to be thankful for. It made communication much, much easier.

"No. My head hurts too much, and remembering is painful. I don't want to talk about it."  
Perhaps his inability to really tell the look on his own face is what made him so confused as to why elsen's were scared of him. He had a tendency to scowl when angry, and with all of his face available to see, it only brought out what he was feeling even more.

"Al-alright.. We-we uh- we do have to know, though. So- we will k-keep asking until you feel good enough to tell us."

"Well that seems like a you problem, now doesn't it?"  
Batter looked at the doctor, the look in his eyes clearly making the poor man scared and chasing him out of the room. He always scared them off, none of them were brave enough to work with him for too long, he didn't know why. It had to be something about his face, or maybe it could be the fact that if he wasn't bed ridden, he could kill them all easily. A good swing to the head could be deadly, he always knew the best part to hit to crack it all open. His history with violence isn't all that good for him, it doesn't make him very approachable, nor does it make him a good problem solver. Kill the person causing the problem, that's his solution most of the time. Though this time, he has to actually try a little harder, he wouldn't take a bat to Dedan, so why should he take one to the other Guardians? He has to think outside of the box this time.

Hospital staff would often talk about a cat that visited sick and hurt patients, and how it cheered them up. They were probably thinking of getting the cat to make Batter happier, but they wouldn't even need to tell it to go see him, it would do it all on it's own. Word of "Dedans Inspector," getting caved in on had already circulated the Zone by the rise of the sun the very next morning of the accident, so The Judge's visit would be of very little surprise in that sense. At least, it would be of little surprise when Batter finds out that everyone knows what happened. Apparently they have nothing else better to talk about, because this is the most "exciting" thing to happen in ages. 

The visit from Pablo was quite unexpected, neither had run into each other for ages, even though the Zone isn't as big as it seems, and finding each other should have been easier than it was. Maybe the cat got busy, or maybe he just figured he didn't make it out of the mines the first time around, either way, they were about to meet again. With a creek of the door, a small, white feline trotted its way in.

"Ah, the Puppet and his questionably real Puppeteer!"  
The Small cat had no issue jumping onto the bed, although Batter wasn't happy with the sudden presence invading his space.  
"It has been quite a while since our last meeting, hasn't it? For someone who doesn't really know what he's doing, you sure are good at avoiding people. Or felines in this matter."  
Judge was smug with the smile and tone he gave, something Batter had a hard time reading. The small cat sat down beside Batter, staring at him directly in his eyes, making Batter uncomfortable.

"Nonsense, I didn't mean to avoid you, I just got busy."

"For two whole weeks? You must be a popular man then, Batter. I figured you would be out of here by now."

"I thought so as well."  
Batter grunted and gave The Judge a soft glare before looking away.  
"Things got a little… sticky. New plan. Guardians are staying alive, I'm working with Dedan to help purify the other Zones by going to the source of the problem."

"And what might that be, dear Puppet?"  
Pablo tilted his head to the side, the confused look of an animal. Batter lightly scoffed at the fact he didn't know. Then again, he could just be moody from being cooped up all day and having something uncomfortable in his arm.

"The Guardians, of course. Zone 2 is in crisis, so Dedan offered to take those elsen's in and give them jobs and a place to live while they work there. And… I have bad feelings about Zone 3. Something about it just doesn't sit right…. I don't like how there's almost 0 communication to and from it. The only beings that come out there are Elsen's unloading boats, and even then they don't talk… It feels.. wrong. Something really bad has gone down there and I'm afraid of what it might be. The plan is to get Japhet to deal with Enoch. If I'm lucky I won't need to be there, but uh.. as you can tell, we probably won't be getting out of here anytime soon."  
Batter sighed, grunting at his throbbing headache.  
"It's my own stupidity that landed me in here, I was down in the mines and I got caved in on…"

"Well that was your own stupidity then, wasn't it? Everyone knows you don't go down in the mines, only the first few floors are actually safe. How far down did you end up going?"  
Pablo seemed curious, not that Batter could tell if he was trying to be helpful. He had bared his teeth at that first statement, it really didn't help.

"...I lost count, not that I was even counting in the first place. I was probably as low as I could be. A lot of it is flooded, it must go much deeper, but by the time I found the spectre I was chasing, it was too late. Had I ran after it instead of away, I would have died. So I might have got myself into the bad situation, but at least I got myself out… sort of. Barely. I still could have died, honestly. If Dedan had not gotten there I would have been dead."  
Batter groaned as he slowly adjusted his position, tired of having something jabbed inside his arm

"Oh yes, you and mr. Dedan… you two have gotten rather close from what I've heard."  
The grin on the cats face made The Purifier irrationally angry, he didn't know why. Was it a mocking smile? Was he actually sincere?

"Whatever you heard isn't really your business, feline. Him and I are good friends and that's all I'll say on the matter."  
He turned his head away from Pablo, a growl to his breath. The Judge simply laughed and waved a paw dismissively.

"Calm down, Puppet, I am not judging you in any way. I am just stating that I have heard you and him and grown close. The elsens always see you two together."

"Yes, well, we had to stick together because he made a promise to keep me alive while Zacharie was away. Speaking of Zach, where is he? He was here yesterday. He just came back."  
Batter tried to look around the room, but with not being able to get up, the task proved futile.

"I'm sure he will be back around noon, you should think about resting, the staff here said you're not in the best condition.."

"Yeah, maybe I should, because your voice gives me a headache… everything does, really. My head just hurts."  
He would have moved his free arm to touch his own face, but moving any part of him hurt. He'd hiss in pain anytime he would twitch, he was not very happy.

"Well, that's what we get for going down to the mines alone. I think you should stay away from them for a while, don't you?"

"The only thing I'm thinking about? Is nothing. It hurts to use my head right now. No thoughts for me, please."  
Closing his eyes, Batter sighed in pain. It really did all hurt, no part of him wasn't in some sort of pain, and it was quite annoying. He could hear Pablo purr as he let out a tiny laugh, was something he said funny?

"You should get them to up your dosage then, you'll be a lot less cranky. It's not an abnormal look on you, but it doesn't really flatter you either."  
The Judge gave Batter a gentle pat on the arm before standing up and moving to the edge of the bed.

"I'm not here to flatter people."

"Try explaining that to your friend, Dedan then, I don't think he got the memo."  
And with that, the tiny cat had jumped off his bed and trotted out of the room. Batter was sure they would meet again, no way they weren't. Though he might be less excited for the next visit if this is the new normal. Everything should be fine though, right? Yeah, Batter was sure it would turn out just fine, he just had to keep going, even if his whole body was begging for the sweet release of death because of the pain. Maybe he should up the dose, he is miserable. 

Speaking of Dedan, Batter wanted to see him again. He missed waking up to being held by him, he had gotten so used to it that he didn’t realize how much he was upset without it. Then again, every inch of him hurt and his head wouldn't stop aching, so maybe that's what's making him so sentimental. What he wouldn't give to have that man walk through the door and scoop in him and hold him until he could finally pass out properly, or to feel him bump his head against him constantly, because it was the only real way he could kiss. He missed the man's warmth, he felt cold without him, but the hospital was rather chilly so maybe he just needs to request something warm. Batter had such a hard time dealing with being helpless like this, he felt awful. He wasn’t supposed to be useless, he should be out there purifying spectres! But his body hurt too much to even move. He's strong, Batter had to give himself that, but he wasn't THAT strong. Maybe this is his sign to try and slow down, take breaks. If he pushes himself constantly he's going to hurt himself again, and next time he might not be so lucky. Maybe after this he will have to take some time for himself to be around Dedan and Zach, he rather spend time with them if he's not off purifying things, they were great company, especially Dedan with how close they have gotten. They were closer than him and Zach, but they had spent more time together so that wasn't very surprising. Batter was sure that Zach and him would get close as well given the chance, he liked Zach; he was cool, he felt safe, like Dedan. Someone he could trust if he was dying. Batter's puppeteer tells him to feel lucky to have this chance, as many versions of him never do, so maybe he is happy to be here instead of a place where he was going around with no mercy, but the headaches stopped him from being too happy about it. Being crushed should have killed him, he guesses he's rather special since he survived. Someone wants him alive still, obviously. In all honesty, he wanted him alive as well. A death wish wasn't something he really had, he just was bad at preserving himself. Maybe that's why Dedan got so attached, the fact that somehow Batter is smart, yet the biggest dumbass alive. He was a dumbass with a heart of gold, he only meant well, but he wasn't smart enough to realize when what he's doing isn't pure like his intentions. He tried though, so that had to count for something, right?

Batter had been so lost in thought that before he knew it, he had heard the door to his room creak open, breaking him from whatever he had been pondering for so long. As the visitor rounded his head into view, Batt's eyes lit up with joy, smiling at his friend.  
"Dedan! I was wondering when you would show up. Come here, I'm cold."  
The Purifiers smile warmed Dedan, making him chuckle to himself as he closed the door behind him 

"SOMEONE'S STILL IN A GREAT MOOD."  
Waltzing over, the Guardian took a chair and pulled it up next to the bed, sitting down and holding one of Batter's hands as he gently pressed his mouth to the man's forehead.  
"I BROUGHT YOU LUNCH, IF YOU'RE HUNGRY. THE FOOD HERE IS NEVER AS GOOD. I TRIED TO GET SOMETHING LIGHT, SO YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO ACTUALLY EAT IT."  
Placing a plastic take-out container on Batt's lap, he took his other hand and rubbed at the smaller man's scalp, happily listening to the rumbly purrs that emitted from him.

"Thank you, you're very thoughtful. I might try eating it, but right now moving hurts. I don't want to push myself.."  
Leaning into Dedans hand, he stared at the man with a strange look the other hasn't really seen on him before. He could tell the other was really happy to see him, was that look on the Purifiers face… love? Or was he just really happy to have company while he was hurting?

"THAT'S A GOOD CALL, WE DON'T WANT YOU HURTING YOURSELF EVEN MORE, THAT CAVE-IN FUCKED YOU OVER ENOUGH. DO YOU THINK YOU CAN ACTUALLY MOVE AT ALL THOUGH? YOU STILL FEEL EVERYTHING, RIGHT?"

"Of course, what kind of question is that?"

"I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE YOU AREN’T PARALYZED, THAT'S ALL. YOU WERE TRAPPED UNDER A FUCKTON OF ROCK, BATTER… I WAS WORRIED."  
Dedan pressed his head to the other again, sighing deeply and holding his position.  
"I'M JUST RELIEVED THAT YOU'RE OKAY.. YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO DIE WHEN I'M AROUND, IT'S JUST NOT ALLOWED."  
He pulled away, watching as Batter laughed at him and squeezed his hand, looking at him with the most sincere smile he has seen from the man thus far.

"Alright, whatever you say, 'Mr Dedan'. Sounds like you like having me around. Not that I'm complaining."  
Bringing Dedan's hand up to his mouth, he left a gentle kiss on the back of his palm before letting his arm fall down, groaning in pain.  
"What will you ever do without me?"  
He stifled another laugh, coughing and making pained sounds.

"HARDY HAR HAR… WHY DON'T YOU TRY EATING? I WANT TO SEE YOU EAT A LITTLE BEFORE I GO."  
He rubbed the other's hand, a slightly concerned look on his face.

"Oh? Well then I might have to refuse for a bit just so you stick around."  
Batter seemed to be full of irregular humour today, Dedan simply brushed it off and placed another kiss on the man's head.

"YOU DON'T HAVE TO BRIBE ME TO STAY, BATTER. I WOULD BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO HANG OUT FOR A BIT. NOW COME ON, I WANT TO SEE YOU TRY AND EAT. PLEASE, FOR ME?"  
He squeezed Batter's hand and pressed his face to him again, rubbing his head on the man slightly. Batter sighed and forced himself to sit up, wincing in pain. Dedan made the head of the bed tilt up some, so Batter could lean back and be more comfortable, hopefully bringing him less pain.

"Okay, I'll do it for you.. but I'm not going to push myself if it hurts too much."

"OF COURSE, I WOULDN'T PUSH YOU TO DO ANYTHING THAT HURT TOO MUCH."  
Gently wrapping his arms around Batter, the Guardian planted a good handful of "kisses" on his tiny friend.

"Once I get out of here, you owe me. Not for anything in particular, I'm just going to demand attention, because I seem to be able to do that with you. I miss being held, you are very warm and I'm sad that I don't get to feel it anymore."  
The warmth from the Guardian felt refreshing. The hug, although a little painful, felt nice and he had a hard time not just sinking into him at last. He opened the take out, looking over the food he was brought. It looked quite good, and it was still warm; it even had a little plastic fork with it as well. With a grin, Batt gave his large buddy a good smooch on the head, unconsciously purring.  
"Thank you, it looks and smells really good, as the food here always does."

"OF COURSE, I'M NOT GOING TO GET YOU ANYTHING SHITTY, YOU'RE HURT. I'M NOT AN ASSHOLE."

"Yeah, you're a dick, there's a difference."  
Batter smirked at Dedan, snickering. Perhaps the painkillers were still making him a little loopy, that, or comedy his how he copes. It could be both, but Dedan wasn't about to ruin the fun, this was the closest he's felt to him and he wasn't about to let it go.

"YEAH, YEAH. SHUT UP AND EAT YOU LITTLE SHIT."  
He rubbed Batt on the head again, listening to the content purrs of his close friend. The two were used to each other by now, their little quips and comebacks were normal at this point, but their physically affectionate habits were even more of the norm, both found it odd to be away from each other like this, all either wanted was to hold each other again like old times. They both had an issue trying to cope with what happened, Dedan upset he "let it happen," and Batter upset that he can no longer receive the attention he used to get from his other. 

"BATTER…. DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO DO AFTER YOUR MISSION IS DONE? DO YOU HAVE ANY PLANS..? HAVE YOU THOUGHT THAT FAR YET?"  
It was a serious question, Dedan was concerned for what might happen after it's all done.  
"WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WHEN IT'S FINALLY TIME TO PUT YOUR BAT TO REST? ALL YOU'VE DONE IS PURIFY THINGS, WHAT'S NEXT AFTER IT?"

"Hm…. I haven't really thought about it, actually. I just sort of assumed that I'd get there when I get there. That, or I would end up staying with you. That never seemed like a bad idea, I like being around you."  
Batter bumped his head against Dedan’s lightly, a smile on his face before he went back to slowly trying to consume the food he was given.

"WELL THAT'S GOOD TO HEAR, I WOULD BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO LET YOU STAY WITH ME. MY BED IS MUCH EMPTIER WITHOUT YOU IN IT. I GOT SO USED TO SLEEPING WITH YOU, THAT I FORGOT WHAT SLEEPING ALONE IS LIKE."

"It sucks and I never want to do it again. I don't like sleeping alone, it feels…"

"LONELY?"

"Yeah, lonely."  
Sighing, Batter placed another kiss on the man's head, purring quietly.  
"But we won't have to worry about that after I'm out of here. I'm sure if I just rest, that I'll be out in no time."

"YEAH, IT'LL ALL BE FINE SOON, DON'T WORRY."  
Dedan instinctively returned the loving peck, rubbing at Batter's head again.  
"ANYWAYS… ZACH SAID HE WOULD BE HERE A LITTLE LATER, SAID SOMETHING ABOUT HAVING TO RUN ERRANDS. HE SHOULD BE HERE SHORTLY. ONCE HE GETS HERE WE HAVE TO TALK ABOUT THE PLAN NOW THAT HE'S BACK. HIM AND I ALREADY HAD A SHORT CHAT ABOUT IT, BUT WE WANT TO INCLUDE YOU."

"Aw, how thoughtful. I'm flattered."

"IS THAT SARCASM?"

"I honestly don't know, I hurt too much to really care. I've had this pounding headache all day."  
Batter groaned, sitting back and dropping his fork back into the container.  
"I wish it would stop, thinking gives me a headache. The doctors keep suggesting more painkillers, but I don't trust them."

"THE DOCTORS OR THE PAINKILLERS?"

"Both, sorta. Mostly the painkillers. My puppeteer tells me to be careful around them."  
He grunted softly as Dedan rubbed his face, a concerned look.

"BATTER… IF YOU'RE IN PAIN, YOU SHOULD LET THEM PUT YOU ON A LITTLE MORE. IT'LL HELP, THAT'S WHAT WE HAVE IT FOR.."  
He gave Batt another bump on the head, clearly worried in every way.  
"I CAN TELL THEM TO UP IT FOR YOU IF YOU WANT. YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE TO BE IN PAIN, ITS OKAY TO NOT BE HURTING. ASKING FOR HELP IS GOOD, BATTER."

"Yeah, yeah…"  
He sighed and pressed his face against Dedan’s, huffing.  
"Maybe just a bit. If you're insistent about it, I trust you I suppose."  
He took the others hand, putting it against his face and exhaling deeply.  
"I just want you to stay longer. I don't want you to go just yet, it gets lonely and boring without anyone here. Especially you."

"YOU'RE SUCH A SUCK."  
The Guardian laughed, rubbing at his friend's face and planting a small kiss.  
"I WON'T LEAVE YOU UNTIL I REALLY HAVE TO. I'M NOT GOING ANYWHERE FOR A BIT, CHILL. IT'S FINE, YOU'RE GOING TO BE FINE, I GOT YOU."  
He watched as Batt rubbed against his palm, feeling the smaller man's face go warm as it darkened. It made him feel oddly warm inside when Batter would give back all his affection, made him feel oddly happy. It was a happy he wanted to hold onto, like he wanted to hold onto Batt. Sure, the fear in the back of his mind almost made him feel nauseated, but watching the Purifier give so much of his affection back, and admit that he had missed him was a feeling he wouldn't let be scared away. Not yet, not ever.

"You like me being like this, don't lie, you oaf. You wouldn't know what to do with yourself if I suddenly left."  
Batter's purring was quite loud, Dedan could feel his hand vibrating when it touched his small friend.

"HEY, I DIDN’T COME HERE FOR YOU TO CALL ME OUT. MAYBE I SHOULD JUST LEAVE."

"No, no, no, please don't leave me here, it's so cold and lonely."  
Better clutched Dedan's hand, pouting at him and looking genuinely upset. That made the big softie groan and give Batter a gentle hug, rubbing his head into him.

"I WAS KIDDING, I WON'T LEAVE, I'M STAYING RIGHT HERE. DON'T POUT LIKE THAT, I'VE NEVER SEEN YOU CRY AND I DON'T WANNA START NOW, ESPECIALLY IF I'M THE ONE MAKING YOU CRY… CHEER UP, I'M STILL HERE."  
Dedan pressed more small kisses to Batter, trying to be helpful. Batt leaned against him, purring into him and relaxing. He seemed to do a 180 emotionally, calming down in seconds as he was embraced.

"Okay, I can get used to this. I accept this, you are warm and it feels nice. You can let go later, more holding now."  
The little grin on his face secretly melted Dedan and made him only want to hold him closer, but he didn't want to hurt Batter more than he already was. Seeing him happy meant the world to him. At the start he wanted him dead, but now if anyone hurt him he would beat their ass. Sadly, you can't hurt a mineshaft, so the best he could do is be there for Batter when he needed it most. If being overly affectionate with him is what would help, then he had no issue with it.

"ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT. I GUESS I HAVE TO MAKE UP FOR LOST TIME SOMEHOW, HUH?"  
Laughing to himself, Dedan gently peppered his companion with more kisses and tried to hold him a little closer.  
"YOU BETTER NOT GO SEEKING OUT DANGER JUST TO GET SPECIAL TREATMENT, YOU LITTLE SHIT. THERE'S THIS HOT NEW THING CALLED ASKING, YOU SHOULD TRY IT."

"Haha, very funny. Shut up and just hold me, you bastard. I'm in pain, I think I deserve a little bit of this at least."  
Rubbing his face against the other as he purred, Batter gave the Guardian a little bit of attitude, but Dedan didn't blame him too much, he was in a lot of pain.  
"But uh… When do you think Zach might get here? I want to see him again, it's been forever…"

"I DON'T KNOW, IF I'M HONEST, HE'S PROBABLY GETTING YOU SOMETHING. THAT'S WHAT HE USUALLY DOES TO SHOW AFFECTION, HE GIVES YOU GIFTS. I DO THIS, CLEARLY. EVERYONE SHOWS LOVE DIFFERENTLY."  
As the Guardian leaned in to give Batt a nice little nuzzle, the two heard the door creak open slowly, the masked man peeking out as their heads whipped to look at the noise.   
"WELL THEN. SPEAK OF THE MAN AND HE APPEARS."

"Zaaaach! You made it, I was starting to wonder what you were up to."  
The Purifier only laughed briefly, coughing and wheezing in pain shortly after, causing Dedan to scooch closer to hold him more. It was a little embarrassing for the Guardian, as now they weren't alone, but he wasn't going to let that stop him.

"Ah, my bad mon ami, I got caught up in business things, you understand, right?"  
He strided across the floor, moving to the other side of the bed and placing a hand on Batter's forehead.  
"How is the man of the hour doing? Any better?"  
Although the mask prevented obvious feelings from being seen, the tone of his voice was worried and caring. Smiling and leaning into the hand, Batter gave a quick snort before returning to a pained, miserable look.

"Existence is pain, everything hurts all the time and I've had a killer headache all day. Making it through is almost not worth it if I have to take much more of this physical torture. Otherwise, I feel fantastic."  
The last part sounded to be clear sarcasm, but it was mostly shrouded in how much he was hurting. Zacharie sounded a little concerned as he reached around into his backpack, pulling out a little hand-held mirror, holding it up to Batter so he could see his own face.

"Well, I hope this helps. You said you've never seen your eyes before, so here's your chance."  
He held the mirror closer as the other slowly took it, staring at himself. The moment of silence that followed felt heavy and awkward, both visitors holding their breath.

"...I look like a fucking mess."  
Batter squinted at himself, staring his reflection in the eyes, all four of them to be exact. He could see why they were so intimidating, all black with the only colour being deep red irises, that was for sure bound to spook people. Though, the fact that his bottom eyes were in a permanent snake slit seemed odd to him. It was probably the heat vision, it had to be those eyes, as looking with only them changed all the colours around him. He found that he was more of a blue, turning more orange when cuddled up with Dedan. Zach brought him up to more of a yellow, but for the most part Batter was more of a blue. It felt weird to him, wrong almost. Maybe he was just cold, he felt orange was more of his colour.  
"Im freezing as well. Blue is a gross colour, I am not a huge fan of it on me."

"Ah- uh… mon ami? You're not blue. Your only colour is in your eyes. What are you talking about?"  
Zach sounded confused, he looked confused as well.

"No- you don't understand. You're uh.. you're a yellow to green, but mostly green. You're kinda cold but still sorta luke warm. Dedan is red, he's very warm. Like- he radiates heat, i turn orange next to him because of the external heat. You bring me up to more of a gentle yellow, but I'm still a little chilly because you don't have a lot of heat to offer. That's probably why you need warm clothes like me. Everything has colours according to how hot or cold they are."  
He sounded confident in what he said, like he knew what he was talking about. Zach just stared for a bit, it all slowly clicking.

"Oh- so.. wait, let me get this straight, Batter. You see heat in signatures?"

"And low light, the lights are off because they burn my eyes. My puppeteer does the seeing for me when it's too bright for me. I see for her when it is too dark, she may be a feline, but even they can't see in true darkness."

"I suppose you're right, yes. That's very interesting, good to know.."  
Zacharie took the mirror and placed it on one of the side tables, face down. Dedan slowly uncoupled from Batter, helping him sit up and pushing the food to him so he might eat more.

"WELL NOW THAT THE FORMALITIES ARE OVER, WE HAVE IMPORTANT THINGS TO TALK ABOUT NOW THAT WE ARE ALL HERE-"

"Actually, Monsieur Dedan, I don't think that today is a great time for that. Batter is hurting too much to pay attention, as important as his mission is, recovery needs to be his main goal right now. I think it's in our best interest to leave it until he gets out."  
Zach patted Batter carefully on the head, chuckling quietly.  
"We should focus on supporting him, this is bound to be stressful for him."

"YEAH, UNFORTUNATELY YOU'RE TOTALLY RIGHT… FUCK."  
Dedan hugged Batt once more, grumbling and sighing.  
"IT CAN'T BE FUN TO BE CRUSHED BY TONNES OF METAL FROM THE MINES…. I'M JUST HAPPY I MADE IT TO HIM IN TIME."

"Mon ami-"  
Zach looked down at Batt, who was slowly trying to eat what was brought to him. Looking up at the merchant, Batter gave a questioning look at the other.  
"Do you remember what happened down there? Or were you knocked on the head so hard it's fuzzy?"  
The Purifier had to stop to think for a second, scrunching up his nose in disgust.

"I can remember what happened before, but after… I don't know, I was in and out of consciousness… by the time I saw the spectre, I had to get out or else I would die. The supports should have told me to turn back, they were bent and just barely holding the roof up, I don't know what I was thinking. It's cold down there, with all the water and whatnot… remembering hurts, the memory hurts. I still feel the rush of panic that I felt when I realized it was all coming down on me if I didn't move that very second. Alpha gave me a few more seconds to get out- ALPHA!"  
Batter shot up straight, crying out in pain when he hurt himself and falling back on the bed. He hissed painfully, water stinging at the sides of his eyes because of his action.  
"Is Alpha okay? Did they make it out as well? Please tell me he's safe."  
He was upset that he might have lost Alpha so soon, he was hoping the add-on was okay.

"BATTER- HE'S FINE. HE WILL COME BACK ONCE YOU GET YOUR BAT IN YOUR HANDS AGAIN, YOU NEED TO CALM DOWN BEFORE YOU HURT YOURSELF AGAIN, YOU FUCKING IDIOT."  
Dedan thumbed at the smaller man's cheek, an annoyed look to him. Zach placed a hand on Batter's shoulder, trying to be supportive.

"He will be fine, you on the other hand, need to be careful… if you keep doing that you're going to do more harm than good. Please- relax. Don't- don't do that…"  
He patted his cheek, a small grunt coming from Batt.

"Okay, my bad. I just remembered and I-"

"Panicked? That's perfectly normal, just try not to worry too much, you'll be fine."  
Zacharie scratched at Batt's scalp, patting his face again.  
"Alpha will be fine. Right now you should worry about you, okay? It's not everyday you get nearly crushed to death. Let's not dance with death now, that's never a wise idea."

"...What?"  
He took the last statement a little too literally, making him confused. You can't dance with a concept, and even if you could, death wouldn't be good with dance partners because no one would ever ask him he thought.

"Oh- never mind… Eat, you'll like this food better, trust me. I'll go get you some water and tell a doctor you need a higher dosage so you're not in so much pain, you'll want it, trust me on this."  
Zach grinned under the mask and pat Batt's shoulder, leaving the room. All the other could get out was a pained "okay," getting closer to the Guardian once more.

"Dedan, do you think you could stay until I passed out? I have a hard time sleeping alone.. I am not fond of dreaming."  
The Purifier looked at Dedan after Zach left, an almost scared look to him. Dedan tilted his head and squinted a little, confused.

"WHY NOT? IS EVERYTHING OKAY?"

"The nothingness is terrifying. I hate all the whispers, I don't like traveling with it. I've only been there once, but it was very unpleasant and often when I fall asleep, I find myself back there. I don't like it."  
When Batter could express his emotions, he was always very blunt with it and straight to the point, like he was with everything. His personality was like his weapon, blunt but deadly.

"OH- UH. YEAH, I'LL HELP YOU FALL BACK ASLEEP AFTER ZACH LEAVES. I WANT YOU TO EAT A LITTLE MORE THOUGH, PLEASE. JUST A BIT MORE, I DON'T WANT YOU TO PUSH YOURSELF. ALSO IT'S GETTING COLD, AND THAT'S NEVER GOOD."

"Mmfph… You're right, yeah. I'll try to eat some more, but it all hurts."  
He forced himself up, Dedan helping with a worried face.

"AS LONG AS YOU'RE TRYING, BATTER, THAT'S ALL THAT MATTERS. BABY STEPS, TAKE IT EASY ON YOURSELF."  
Dedan gently rubbed the others back, watching him try to eat a little more. His condition will improve with time, but it's waiting it out that's the problem. Trying to accurately measure time can be hard when a minute feels like an hour, but if he stayed with Batter as much as he could, perhaps that may help him feel a little more comfortable.  
"YOU HAVE A HORRIBLE HABIT OF NOT TAKING CARE OF YOURSELF YOU KNOW."

"Yeah, yeah. I know. Don't remind me, I'm working on it. There's a lot I have to do, yet very little at the same time."  
Batter grumbled lowly, feeling exhausted already.

"WELL, YOU'LL GET BETTER WITH PRACTICE. YOU JUST HAVE TO BREAK IT DOWN INTO SMALL PARTS."

"Yeah, but now the list of things to do is huge instead of small."

"IT COMES WITH PRACTICE, BATTER. YOU SOUND LIKE YOU JUST HAVE ISSUES PROCESSING SHIT OR SOMETHING, YOU NEED TO REST UP FOR NOW, FORGET ABOUT YOUR MISSION UNTIL YOU CAN GET OUT OF HERE, OKAY? YOUR OWN HEALTH COMES BEFORE WORK. NEVER PUT OTHER SHIT ABOVE YOURSELF, THERE'S ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD, BUT THERE'S ONLY ONE YOU."  
Dedan gave Batter another gentle bump to his head, listening to the purrs he gave off as Zach came back into the room with a doctor. Zacharie had a glass of water in hand, going over to hand it to Batter, the doctor walking over to the Iv and pressing a button on the machine a few times to up the drip a little. They had it slow before to get him to wake up, but now he will need more just to be comfortable.

"I-I don't know how you uh… how you made him ch-change his uh.. his m-mind but uh- this w-will- uh… it will help a lot."  
The doctor stared at the bag of liquid for a second before glancing over at the take-out Batter was brought. He looked it over, looking up at Dedan nervously, then again they all looked nervous all the time.  
"How-h-how much has- has he uh… h-has he eaten?"

"BARELY ANYTHING, WHY?"

"Ah- j-just uh…. Just wondering… try to uh- get him to eat a little more. Don't- don't push him, he's still healing… we uh- we had to do emergency procedures because of how bad of uh- h-how bad of shape he was in when- uh. When he came in. Come get me if- uh. If he starts feeling stomach pains."  
The elsen brought out a clipboard, flipping through a few papers before writing some numbers down off of the machine Batter was hooked to, leaving shortly after.

Dedan kept rubbing his friends back, being as supportive as he possibly could manage. Zach was just sitting in a chair on the other side of the bed, staring Batt over. None of the men spoke for a while, the only sounds in the room really being the beeping of the machine and The Purifier eating. Batter was never a man of words, so the fact he had been this chatty was amazing to Dedan. Usually it was him doing all the talking, this was an improvement. Though, Batter had been hurting badly, so perhaps him talking a lot is linked to how well he is doing, because he's dead quiet now and starting to eat just fine.

"YOU FEELING BETTER?"

"Mmhm. I'm starting to hurt less, but I'm still exhausted in every way."  
Batt looked over at Zach as he placed a hand on his leg, patting him softly.

"Well, you'll be sleeping a lot, so I'm sure you'll be better by the time you're out of here. I might stay a little after Dedan leaves, just to make sure you sleep alright. I cleared my schedule today so I could, we wouldn't want you dying on us, now would we?"  
With a half-assed laugh, Zacharie quickly hushed himself with a cough.  
"Plus, it's a place for me to sleep as well. I don't hold permanent residence anywhere because of how much I move about. I have no issues with resting here for a bit, if it means you'll be okay."

"OH- THANKS ZACH, I ACTUALLY HAVE A BUNCH OF THINGS LEFT FOR TODAY, SO MAYBE YOU CAN HELP HIM GET TO BED? I DON'T WANT TO FALL BEHIND AGAIN, IT'S SO EASY TO THESE DAYS. I WAS GOING TO DO IT MYSELF, BUT I HAVE SOME IMPORTANT THINGS I SHOULDN'T BE TOO LATE FOR."  
The Guardian sounded irritated at that last part, Zach just laughed it off and waved a hand.

"Of course Monsieur Dedan, I am more than happy to help with Batter if it helps you as well. You go get back to work, I'll stay here."

"THANK YOU AGAIN, ZACH."  
He leaned down and gave Batter one last kiss before getting up.  
"TRY TO BEHAVE FOR ZACH, OKAY?"

"You don't need to tell me.to behave, I have a good attitude. Go get your jobs done, I'll be fine."  
Batter patted his friend with a smile, waving him off as the big man stumbled over words for a second before just sighing and giving another little bump before leaving.

"I'LL BE BACK TOMORROW."

"And I won't be going anywhere anytime soon. I'll see you later."  
Batter snorted to himself, finding that at least a tiny bit funny, even if it's in a sad sort of way. 

The door slammed quickly behind Dedan as he left, leaving the two other men in the room alone. The room fell quiet for a while, neither of the two really knowing how to pick up the conversation again.

"I was hoping he might stay, but he's always so busy, I'm not surprised. At least you're here now, though."  
The Purifier looked over at Zach, eyeing him over. The Merchant was smaller than him in many ways, but Batt wasn't about to doubt any ability the other may have, as they don't know each other very well still.  
"How was your visit to the other Zones? ...How are you even allowed in the third one? Dedan has told me that it's practically locked off from the rest of the world."  
He tilted his head, staring at the eyes behind the man's mask. Something about that question seemed to bring out a slight nervousness to Zach.

"Ah- Zone 3, yes, it is closed off to in and outgoing visitors, I am the one exception because of my role in the economy. Someone has to get them things, and that someone is me."  
Zacharie sounded uncomfortable with this line of questioning, which only made Batter press on more.

"Why? Why is it closed off? There can't be a good reason, you don't just close off something that important, Zach. If there's one thing I learned from Dedan, it's that something fishy is going on."

"Well- I uh."  
Zach stuttered, something Batter felt was odd of him to do. His angry squint didn't seem to really help.  
"Yes, you're not totally wrong, mon ami… Zone 3 is in its own crisis, all the Zones are. Monsieur Dedan has done a good job at keeping his Zone going, but as you could tell, all that stress and responsibility isn't good for one man alone. I myself haven't seen Japhet or Enoch for a long time, but uh."  
Zacharie rubbed his hands together in a nervous manner.  
"You don't really want to know what's going on, mon ami… It is not something you might be mentally prepared to know. Especially right now. There is a reason Dedan only told you so much. I think we should keep it that way."  
The Merchant moved over to the bed, patting Batter carefully and thunking the forehead of his mask on the others as a comforting gesture.  
"For now you should focus on recovering, you must be very tired, existing is tiring when you're in pain and your body is using everything it has to repair itself."

"Yes I am very tired, but this seems very important to know."

"Not right now it's not, what's important is you getting your rest. Please, I can talk all about it later. If you're done eating I can take the food away, but you should think about napping soon. I'll try to be here when you wake up, waking up alone must be unsettling for you since staying with Monsieur Dedan."  
Zach ran his hands through Batter's incredibly short hair, a small chuckle coming from him.

"Why do you call him Monsieur?"

"It's a formality, like how I call you mon ami, all I am doing is calling him Mr Dedan, like I am calling you my friend."

"I see…"

"Mmhm, now please, get some rest. I will be here when you awaken. Or at least I will try to be, businessmen like me get very busy."  
He gave Batter some soft pats before sitting back down.  
"Don't worry, I'll be right here, I promise."


	10. Another Slow and Boring Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another day of Batter being stuck at the hospital. Dedan, Zacharie, and Batter all decide about Zone 2.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No major chapter tw/cw
> 
> Thank you for the continued support ^^!

The relationship between Zacharie and Batter had been established quite clearly from the get-go. The Purifier could remember the day they first met quite well, it wasn't a very fun day, but very eventful nonetheless. Perhaps it was the fear that had clearly soaked Zacharie's body when Batter had stumbled in, a yellowy-green down to an almost teal. Maybe it was the horrible pain he had gone through, and the fact that if that door didn't lead to Zacharie, things could have been a lot different. Had he not found Zach and still somehow survived the mines, Dedan would have found him anyways. Batt liked to think it would have been because he would have definitely slept where he escaped off to; the trail of blood he left wasn’t hard to follow with the lights on, but that isn't what happened. Just like last time, Zacharie was by his side while at his most physically vulnerable. The timing of the accident was horrible, a little too convenient one might say. Zach was always gentle, from when they first met to now, Batter had never felt any malicious intent. He could hear the controlled panic in Zach's voice as he had dragged Batter over to the table, he could remember how scared his eyes looked, but who wouldn't be if a mangled man came bursting in after weeks of silence living in a mine. The Purifier often wondered if he could still see the worry behind his mask seep through like it did then, but even as Zacharie sat next to Batt, gently running a hand through his companions short, short hair, the same unfiltered emotions weren't really visible. Perhaps they had both just caught each other at weak moments, it felt like it happened a lot. There was a sort of dependency from the start, one that still held up quite well. Zacharie made the glum hospital room a little more lively, Batter didn't know how he could properly thank the man for sticking around, he could only imagine the type of burden this might be putting on him. Though, when Zach looked at him, he could never see any clear look of pity. Sure, the mask made it very hard to read emotions, but he had never gotten upset at him thus far, and that had to be a good sign. He wasn't like Dedan, everything about him was very controlled and thought over, he presented as a cautious man in some aspects, but a confident one nonetheless. Batter could even tell through how they were physically affectionate towards him. While Dedan was a little more careless with how he tended to handle Batt, Zach had always felt a lot more calculated, like he knew exactly what he was doing each time. Yet the man was soft and respectable, very professional through all his rather bubbly personality, a sort of combination that somehow works perfectly. It was still rather unfortunate that Batter had to get almost killed the day Zach came back, a sort of cruel and unusual joke that is a little too predictable. Though it gave the two plenty of time to catch up, there was something Batter wanted to do rather desperately.

"What was Zone 2 like? I have heard from quite a few transfer workers that it is very green." Batter was supposed to be napping, but he honestly didn't feel like it, and Zacharie had slowly given up and resorted to gentle head rubs, all in hopes that it might make him even slightly tired. The poor Frenchman sighed to himself with a small chuckle.

"Yes, it is quite green, you would be surprised how resourceful they are with their limited growing space. It is going to be cold by the time we get there though, you'll still be stuck in here for a while." The dreaded conversation of what they are going to do after this was right around the corner, Zach could feel it. And as much as he rather not discuss it while Batt is in pain, perhaps now is a perfect time. "Dedan and I are still weighing our options, mon ami. Either he could go now, and leave me and you to look after the Zone, or we wait for you to be well and take the next large cargo ship to Zone 2. You've expressed your hatred for the nothingness, so we obviously have to work around that. I rather not have someone like you panicking while traversing there."

"Is that supposed to be an insult, Zach?"

"I'll let you figure that one out, let's get back on topic. We either do it without you, or we bring you. Do you even want to go to Zone 2?"

"Of course, I think that's a stupid question. I still have to help purify that Zone, I cannot skip over the other two Zones, Zach. I would be insulted if I did not suspect you were trying to protect me from something." The slight scowl in Batters breath faded as the merchant laughed slightly, running his hand down to stroke Batter on the cheek before petting him carefully.

"Mon ami, the only thing you seem to need protection from is your own poor choices! But I suppose you're right, you still want to finish your mission, so I guess that really should have been a no-brainer, hm? Let's hope you can be back in shape by then, Zone 2 tends to get-… Hm. Let's just say that the weather can be moodier than Monsieur Dedan, ha ha!" Zach scratched at his friend's scalp, zoning out a little bit as the two locked eyes for a moment. Batt cracked a smile, letting out a stifled laugh.

"Ah, I guess that was sort of funny. Maybe we are all going to have to discuss this. In my horribly unprofessional opinion, I say we all go and verbally kick some bird ass. Usually I might have just whacked him and gotten over it, but that doesn't seem possible here."

"Quite right, dear. Violence doesn't really solve much, sadly. It would make things much easier, wouldn't it?"

"That's what they want you to think, it makes it so much harder. People tend to listen less to the man covered in blood." Batter groaned and rubbed at his eyes with his one hand, glancing at Zach as his friend laughed.

"You're not wrong my friend, one does tend to believe the man covered in blood a lot less. You can always make them confused by looking terrified, though."

"Well, if your hand was sort of forced into murder, you would be pretty scared as well, wouldn't you?"

"You would get scared if you were forced into anything, mon ami. That is how force tends to work." The two found themselves laughing a bit when Batter said something like "oh, blunt force trauma?" It was the attempts at humour that charmed Zach, almost gave him hope that things really might go differently this time, just maybe. "Ah, yes, but in all seriousness, Batter, you should think about this carefully. You'll still need rest after you get out, is rushing into battle the best option? I am sure Dedan can manage to be civil with Japhet. If we are lucky, he could have a solution before you're even out! But he would have to go today or tomorrow, and I would stay here with you. I might also have to run a few errands now and then, because I would be in charge, but I would still be here." Zahcarie palmed at Batt's cheek, eyes drifting as the other looked away in thought. "Its you're choice, but we have wasted a lot of time already, don't you agree? Let us help you, you don't have to be the front runner of the story, you don't have to accomplish it all yourself. That's a lot of pressure, don't you think? Don't force yourself to fulfill a job handed to you, you never really chose to do this, relax. You're much too hurt to keep going into battle so carelessly, have you not learned from your first day?"

"Apparently not…" With his free hand, Batter gently rubbed it over the old scar on his abdomen, shuddering as he put his hand down. "Sometimes I can still feel how badly that hurt."

"That's called a flashback, mon ami. You have experiencenced things that are generally seen as traumatic, that's a normal response to that."

"Trauma? Thats stupid. I feel fine." Batter huffed, looking quite serious, as did Zach when his polite undertone washed away.

"Batter. Don't be an ignorant asshole, you have trauma. What you do isn't normal, even for our world's standards. Why do you think elsen are afraid? You have a cold, angry look to you a lot of the time. Sure, you may not BE angry, but that's what you normally look like and that's a little frightening. You wouldn't really need to keep your expression so low, if it weren't for the scary things you have been through. You've almost died twice now, that's traumatic." The room fell silent as Zach held an angry gaze, watching Batter slowly become uncomfortable. The merchant refused to speak, so eventually Batter had to fill the silence, his tone quiet and his voice wavering a tiny bit.

"Okay." A soft, simple answer. He honestly didn't know what to say, this conversation has quickly gotten undesirable to continue. Zacharie sighed and bumped his mask against the others face, petting his head gently once more.

"It's not a bad thing to have, Batter. You just need to realize you have it, it'll help. Now you get rest, I know it's boring to sleep so much, but it's honestly the best thing for you. Maybe when you wake up, I'll have lunch for you."

"Will we get to do anything when I get out? Being cooped up here is very boring and I hate it."

"Of course, I already have some ideas, just sleep, please. I've been trying for a few hours now." Zach patted his friend, slipping his hands away in defeat. Batter groaned to himself with a big sigh. "Okay, I suppose. I apologize, sleeping so much doesn't make me that tired. Also, it is a little warm in here, so I am very much not sleepy."

"If I lower the heat in here a tad, will you be okay with me leaving to run some tasks?"

"Ah- sure, okay." Batter grunted as Zach bumped his mask against him again and got up to leave, turning the temperature dial down slightly. It was there for times like this, when a patient needed more or less heat, which wasn't often, but it was enough for it to be a needed feature.

"I hope that'll be fine, I'll be back, don't go anywhere "

"I don't have much of a choice." Batter was quick to respond, hearing Zacharie chuckle as he left through the door, calmly shutting it behind him. Once again, Batter was alone in the room, being forced to sleep some more. It was quite boring to sleep all the time, plus, he wasn't very fond of the dreams he tended to have, it just wasn't something he liked going through so much. At this rate, once he gets out they are going to have to bargain with him to rest, though he bets Dedan and Zach would have their ways, the Guardian always had his ways of making Batter take care of himself. Even though Batter would complain to Dedan of nightmares, or try to make excuses as to why he didn't want to rest, the Guardian never ceased to get him to rest. The promise of spending time together reeled Batt in easily, it was a trick the larger other had used often, most importantly with getting the stubborn Purifier to actually consume food in a healthy manner, and not just for battle. In a strange way, Batter had to be one of the best things that happened to him lately, if not ever, but that might be a stretch for him to admit to. The small man, while being frustratingly annoying with his aversion to self care, got the Guardian to actually take care of himself as well. He had gotten into the habit of having to do things with Batter in order for him to actually do them, so it made sure he was also practicing what he preached. Sleeping had to be the easiest thing to get his small companion to do, as it only really needed Dedan to cuddle with the other, which was fine by him because Batter seemed to really enjoy it. Of course, neither man really stated feelings to each other, they just weren't there quite yet, but both had a feeling that after this might prove different. A lot of things will be different after this, Batt could tell that much.

Zacharie had been right, he can't just jump back into fighting after he gets out, he won't be ready physically or mentally. He had been alive for just 2 weeks, and already his near-death count is getting pretty high. If he has another, he isn't sure how he might cope. Sure, once is fine, a simple mistake. Twice is okay, one just has to be even more careful. Thrice? Now that's just God trying to murder you. Cowardice, Batter liked to think. If someone wants him dead, they should walk up to him and kill him themselves, what fun is it to get others to do your dirty work? If you're going to commit a murder, at least make the sin worth while. If an all powerful being can't come down to kill him themselves, then he could easily come up there and kill it instead. What use is an all-powerful entity if it cannot use that power how it pleases? Then again, perhaps looking up at the sky while one is merely an ant isn't the best point of view, no matter how big or strong of an ant one may think they are, they are still an ant nonetheless. Trying to conceptualize something beyond comprehension is not only useless, but creates needless distress where it could be used enjoying concepts one can understand.

A warm hand was placed on Batter's face, breaking him from a light sleep brought on by ceaseless thoughts. He could tell who it was, as the palm could fit a good portion of his face, the lengthy fingers wrapping around the man's head giving it totally away. Before he had even opened his eyes, Batt had already reached up for the larger man, Dedan, groaning to be held by him. The Guardian couldn't refuse of course, not after feeling how cold Batter was, so he carefully lifted his small friend up, sitting behind him so he could help warm him up. The room had been slightly chilly, even for him, so he could only imagine how Batt had felt. As soon as the small man had settled into the other, Dedan could hear, and even feel, a deep, rumbling like purr emit from his short friend. Though Batter was tall, pretty much everyone was short to Dedan. The two would sit in silence for a while, neither man wanting to speak first. Batt was still trying to figure out when he had passed out, and how long it had been, it felt like it was a while, but it couldn't have been too long.

"What time is it? What happened to Zach, he said he was coming back." Not that the Purifier was complaining, he was really happy that Dedan surprised him with a visit, it was just a little jarring to wake up to. As the Guardian gave him a tiny squeeze, he felt the other gently bop his head on the back of his own.

"ZACH HAD BUSINESS TO DO, SO I CAME TO VISIT INSTEAD. HE MUST HAVE TURNED IT DOWN TOO MUCH, HE KNOWS HE ISN'T SUPPOSED TO FUCK WITH THE DIAL. YOU ARE FREEZING, YOU LOOK FREEZING TOO." Dedan took his jacket and threw the sides over Batter, hugging him to him again.

"How do I look freezing?"

"YOU'RE GROGGY AND SLOW, YOU DON'T EVEN SHIVER LIKE EVERYONE ELSE, YOU JUST GET REALLY SLOW AND YOU'RE EVEN MORE DULL THAN USUAL."

"Hey-"

"I MEAN THAT IN THE NICEST WAY POSSIBLE." Petting the small other gently, they both fell silent again as Batt huffed over being called dull, not that he could dispute that, he is rather boring. As the quietness grew louder and louder and louder, one of them had to break it.

"When do I get to go back home, Dedan?" Batter spoke out groggily, slowly lifting an arm up to the others head, stroking the side as he yawned, hearing a strange grunt from Dedan.

"YOU MEAN- BACK HOME WITH ME?" Although Dedan had lowered his voice and tried to be gentler, Batt could hear the surprise in his voice, almost like he wasn't quite expecting that, or at least not yet.

"Of course, idiot. Where else will I go after this is all done? I doubt I just… stop existing. I want to stay with you, you're nice to me." The purifier let out a soft grunt as Dedan held him closer, resting his head on him. "I want to stick around you. Zach as well, but I can work that out later. For now, I'm focused on what happens with us after all of this. Do we just go about our lives? What do I even do after I'm finished my mission? Do I find something else to do?" There was another pause as Dedan tried to think, but the other kept speaking. "Laying here all the time has given me too much time to think. I'm afraid of what happens after we are all done. What if this is all for nothing, and I have to do what I was supposed to in the first place? Will I have to kill you? Will I have to face another me, because I couldn't do it right the first time? What if this really does work, do I just spend the rest of my life with you and Zach? Wh-"

"WOAH- SLOW DOWN BATTER, YOU'RE THINKING WAAAAAYY TOO FAR AHEAD, WE HAVEN'T EVEN FINISHED YOUR MISSION YET! YOU SHOULDN'T WORRY ABOUT THAT YET, WE HAVE OTHER THINGS WE HAVE TO THINK ABOUT." "Like Zone 2?" "YEAH- THAT TOO, I WAS MORE THINKING ABOUT HOW YOU'RE STUCK IN BED HERE, BUT THATS WHATEVER I GUESS." The Guardian grumbled lowly, carefully moving a hand over the one Batter can't move, holding it. "WE STILL NEED TO TALK ABOUT ZONE 2, YEAH. THAT'S GOING TO BE A MESS."

"Maybe you should go by yourself, it'll be a pain to drag me along with you when I'm like this. Plus, by the time I am better it'll be cold in Zone 2."

"SO YOU GET TO SEE A LITTLE BIT OF SNOW, SO WHAT? I CAN GET YOU SOME WARM CLOTHES IF THAT'S WHAT WE NEED."

"Does this mean I finally get to see you wear a shirt?" Batter laughed quite loudly, looking up at Dedan with a smug grin. The Guardian growled under his breath, playfully ruffling Batt's hair.

"OH, YOU'RE JUST A LITTLE SHIT TODAY, AREN'T YOU? IS THE OPEN JACKET NOT ENOUGH FOR YOU? WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT, BY THE QUEEN YOU ARE DEMANDING." Dedan leaned down and bumped their heads carefully again, hearing Batter chuckle at him and pat the side of his face.

"Says the man who climbed into the bed without me needing to say a word. You can't say shit, Mr. Affectionate. Nothing you do is quiet, you shithead, you talk loud and love loud, you're just loud over all."

"YEAH? WELL YOU'RE REAL FUCKING BLUNT FOR A MAN WHO NEEDS TO BE CUDDLED TO SLEEP." Poking Batter's nose, Dedan let out a breathy laugh and watched the other give him an angry look. "I COULD BREAK YOUR BONES BY SQUEEZING YOU."

"You can do a lot more than that."

"BATTER!" Dedan hissed, squinting at the other angrily. Batter had a strangely confused look, reminding him that Batter probably didn't understand the second meaning of it. "THAT'S- NO, THAT'S NOT WHAT YOU MEAN. OR- WELL- YOU DON'T WANT TO SAY IT LIKE THAT."

"Why not..?" Batter was even more confused now, and Dedan was clearly nervous about the question.

"UH. MAYBE I'LL TELL YOU WHENEVER WE ARE IN A MORE PRIVATE SETTING.." Dedan rubbed Batter's head more, grumbling to himself. Batt simply sighed and sunk into his friend. "

Okay then, keep your secrets." There was a pause as no one spoke again, a common occurrence when they talked like this. The Purifier enjoyed talking to him a lot, but both men weren't skilled with conversation. "So what happens to everything when we fix this? We get Japhet and Enoch to snap out of it, then what? You got your old friends back, what happens?" Dedan sighed at the question, groaning.

"I DON'T KNOW, BATTER. I'M REALLY NOT SURE ABOUT WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN EVEN WHEN I GO TO TALK TO THE STUBBORN BIRD. IT'S BEEN SO FUCKING LONG SINCE IVE EVEN SEEN HIM! IF YOU WANT TO COME, YOU CAN. BUT... IF HE DOES SNAP OUT OF IT, HE WILL PROBABLY JUST…. FLY US OVER TO ZONE 3 SO WE CAN DEAL WITH ENOCH. AS MUCH AS I HATE THE FAT BASTARD, WE MIGHT HAVE TO GO IN AND TALK TO HIM OURSELVES, JAPHET MIGHT BE TOO BIG TO MAKE IT TO HIS OFFICE, ZONE 3 IS A FUCKING NIGHTMARE OF ARCHITECTURE. IF IT'S BAD ENOUGH, WE ALL MIGHT NEED TO GO SEE THE QUEEN ABOUT THE SPECTRES. I'M HOPING THAT WE CAN FIX THE CRISIS IN ZONE 2, AS MUCH AS I LOVE HAVING ALL THE WORKERS I NEED, THE FACT THEY HAVE TO WORK TO KEEP THEIR HOMES IS FUCKING STUPID. I PROVIDE MY WORKERS WITH WHAT THEY NEED SO THEY CAN BE PRODUCTIVE, BUT WITH SO MUCH OF THE OTHER ZONES SHUTTING DOWN, WE ARE HAVING TO BECOME ALMOST INDEPENDENT, AND WE STILL HAVE TO SHIP ZONE 2 MATERIALS! NOT TO MENTION THE RARE PURCHASES FROM ZONE 3. I'M STRESSED, THE WORKERS ARE STRESSED, AND FRANKLY I THINK IT'S A LITTLE MUCH TO ASK FROM THIS ZONE. SO MAYBE WHEN I MARCH UP TO THEM AND SCREAM HARD ENOUGH, THOSE MORONS WILL REALIZE EVERYTHING IS FUCKING SINKING, AND IF WE DON'T MOVE FUCKING FAST, EVERYTHING WILL CRUMBLE AS WE KNOW IT. YOU WOULD HAVE TAKEN CARE OF THIS ALREADY-"

"But, because of what happened on the first day, I was unable to do my mission properly, yeah, yeah. I don't like remembering what happened, it hurt. Badly. Moving on now, yes, the Zone is very much overworked, and I'm surprised they can hold onto what they do. For people that are stressed beyond belief, they sure do hold themselves together well."

"WE DON'T TALK ABOUT HOW AFRAID THEY ARE, I DO ALL I CAN TO TRY TO FUCKING ACCOMMODATE, BUT IT'S NOT ENOUGH. THERE'S A ROOT FUCKING PROBLEM I HAVE TO DEAL WITH, AND IT STARTS WITH GETTING THE OTHER ZONES WORKING."

"What fun that will be." Batter was clearly sarcastic, breaking up the energy in the room a tad. Dedan chuckled quietly, sighing once more.

"YEAH.. WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK AHEAD OF US BATTER, MAYBE YOU WONT NEED TO KEEP PURIFYING EVERYTHING. THERE MIGHT BE A CHANCE TO SAVE THIS, THERE REALLY MIGHT."

"Oh, what ever would you do without me?" Batt patted Dedan with a smile, laughing to himself under his breath.

"I COULD LIST MANY THINGS, BUT NONE ARE BETTER THAN THE THINGS I CAN DO WITH YOUR LITTLE GREMLIN ASS AROUND."

"Yeah, well you'd die for this 'gremlin' so shut up." He inhaled in surprise as the Guardian lifted him up a little with a hug, the other bonking his head against him as to give little pecks.

"YOU LIKE THE ATTENTION, DON'T LIE."

"You like giving it." The two were met with another voice playfully mocking them as a door firmly shut.

"Boys, you love each other, we get it, now stop your incessant bickering!" Zacharie had come back, and at a great time as well, his timing was usually impeccable. "We have more important things to talk about than this." Batter was clearly flustered as he sunk into the others jacket, Dedan not seeming to show if it affected him at all.

"USUALLY YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO KNOCK."

"It's a hospital Monsieur, and Batter is bed ridden. What's the worst I can walk in on? You and I both know you would never go that far with the public so close by." Zach snorted, the smugness in his voice almost staining his words completely.

"I feel this is a conversation I'm not supposed to be hearing." Batter tried to break the awkward stand-off off as soon as possible, not wanting this to get out of hand.

"INDEED, YOU'RE RIGHT. ZACH SHOULDN'T BE SAYING SHIT HE'S NOT READY TO EXPLAIN TO YOU." Dedan glared right at the Merchant as he said that, a raspy growl to his voice.

"Alright then, are you wanting me to teach him then? Since clearly you won't." Zach was still smug as he waltzed over to the bed.

"Holy shit, no thank you, I would not like to know whatever this childish fight is about. Can someone up the pain meds so I can't comprehend what the fuck you guys are saying?" Batter had enough of this, he rather not continue this situation.

"I AGREE, LET'S DROP THIS. I THINK NOW IS A GREAT TIME TO GET WHAT WE WANT TO HAPPEN OUT ON THE TABLE."

"But we are sitting on a bed?"

"IT'S JUST A SAYING, BATTER. METAPHORICAL, I DON'T MEAN IT LITERALLY."

"Oh." Batt scrunched up his nose for a second as he mumbled that.

"I THINK WE SHOULD BRING BATTER WITH, HE SHOULD SEE ZONE 2, ALSO HE MIGHT BE HELPFUL."

"Well, you two are the ones who have to go do this, so that is up to you. I think someone should stay behind at least, just in case. If you are sure about bringing him, I cannot stop you, but if that is so, I might have to stay behind for the Zone's safety." The previous smug tone to Zacharie had washed away, now returning to his more professional, business man voice.

"IF THAT'S WHAT YOU WANT TO DO, SURE, BUT YOU REALLY DON'T HAVE TO. BATTER COULD STAY WITH YOU WHILE I TALK TO JAPHET, OR IF HE IS FEELING WELL ENOUGH MAYBE YOU CAN HELP HIM GET RID OF SOME SPECTRES? YOU DON'T NEED TO STAY BEHIND, I'M SUPPOSED TO BE BABYSITTING HIM FOR YOU, NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND."

"Well, it seems you two have grown on each other, and I am not about to-"

"Zacharie is coming with us because I said so, and both of you like having me around, otherwise I would be dead by now. Or you would, either way works. Now stop your bickering, it's giving me a headache." Batter back at it again with being blunt, nothing short of expected from him. The other two men in the room laughed a bit, but not very much.

"Okay, that settles it then, huh? We all go once mon ami is feeling better." Zach gave a lazy shrug, Dedan nodding.

"OKAY THEN, GOOD. GLAD THAT'S SETTLED. HOW LONG UNTIL YOU GET OUT? HAVE THEY TOLD YOU?" They both stared at Batter as he thought, a little uncomfortable with the eyes on him.

"The doctor told me that they wanted to watch me for a few more days and see how I'm doing. If my condition is stable and I can walk, they say I'll be released in no time." Good news, for once in the eventful weeks that have passed.

"Good, we should be out of here in no time then, how fun." The Merchant was gleeful in his words, but Dedan seemed to groan and roll his eyes a little.

"EXCUSE ME FOR NOT BEING EXCITED, BUT GETTING THIS OVER WITH CAN'T COME FAST ENOUGH. I'M DROWING IN PAPERWORK AND IT FUCKING SUCKS. I WOULD LIKE TO GET THE FUCKING ZONES WORKING AGAIN! WE WON'T LAST LONG HOW WE ARE NOW."

"I'm sure the next few days will be gone before you know it, just don't complain and next thing you know, we will be on a boat to Zone 2. It's how I get my supplies across to each Zone anyways." Another shrug from Zach, he sounded calm like usual, though he seemed more comfortable than when he had first walked in.

"YEAH, I KNOW, BUT IT'S NOT LIKE YOU HAVE TO TALK TO ASSHOLES YOU HAVEN’T SPOKEN TO IN YEARS IN ORDER TO ACTUALLY SAVE ALL YOUR ASSES. I'M JUST WORRIED, ZACH. A LOT CAN HAPPEN IN A FEW DAY'S, I'M SCARED SOMETHING BIG MIGHT HAPPEN AND I SHOULD HAVE DONE IT BEFORE. THINGS ARE ALREADY FALLING APART, EVEN WITH ME ACTUALLY TRYING TO SAVE SHIT. I JUST HOPE IT'S NOT TOO LATE."

"If it were too late, I wouldn't have been enough to get YOU to snap out of it. It'll be fine, Dedan. I trust you." Batter leaned up and tried to mimic the bumping again, attempting to be comforting.

"YOU HAVE HORRIBLE TASTE IN TRUST."

"Nonsense, I think you don't give yourself enough credit, stop worrying, if I can survive being crushed, you can do this."

"BATTER, THAT IS VASTLY DIFFERENT-"

"Oh shut up, I'm trying." Batter interrupted him and huffed, a small growl coming from the man. "You will be fine though, we get there when we get there."

"YEAH- I KNOW. I- UGH. SHIT WILL BE FINE, I KNOW. JAPHET HAS SOME FUCKING SENSE TO HIM, IM SURE I CAN PLEAD ENOUGH, MAYBE ENOUGH INSULTS WILL GET THROUGH HIS HEAD. IT'S ENOCH I'M WORRIED ABOUT, IT'S BEEN FOREVER AND HIS ZONE HAS BEEN SLOWLY SHUTTING DOWN. WHATEVER HE'S UP TO CAN'T BE GOOD." The Guardian huffed and leaned back on the bed a little more, exhaling deeply. "WE CAN GET THIS DONE SOON ENOUGH. BATTER WILL BE DONE HIS MISSION, AND THEN WE CAN GO ABOUT OUR NEW LIVES, BECAUSE NOTHING SHOULD RETURN THE SAME AFTER WE ARE DONE."

"I like some of the features of your Zone, does everything have to change?" Batter sounded almost upset, which was a tone Dedan didn't hear often.

"WELL OF COURSE SOME THINGS WILL STAY, BUT THERE HAS TO BE CHANGE SO THE ZONES CAN KEEP WORKING, AND NOT SHUT DOWN LIKE THEY HAVE BEEN. I HAVE TO TALK TO JAPHET ABOUT IT, DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT BATTER, NOT YOUR ISSUE."

"Okay." He was always blunt, he never liked dancing around the bush, in fact, he just doesn't like dancing. He isn't that kind of guy, dancing isn't really his thing. The room fell silent again as everyone tried to think of what to say next. It would be Batter that sparked the conversation again, which was usual for him. "Zacharie said that after I get out, that we can go do something, are you going to come with us?"

"I DON'T KNOW, IT DEPENDS. I'LL MAKE SURE THAT IF I CAN'T MAKE IT, THAT I'LL DO SOMETHING WITH YOU LATER INSTEAD." Dedan pet Batt softly, gliding his hand down to hug him firmly once more, gently squeezing the other hand he was holding. He could feel the Purifier's purrs, always having enjoyed the odd vibrations.

"Okay, I can wait for that then, I'm sure whatever will happen will be nice. One can hope, at least. With how this is going, part of me is starting to think some malevolent God is toying with me. It cannot be my Puppeteer, she has done nothing but tried to keep my 'dumb ass' alive. She said the dumbass part, though she says it's supposed to be positive. She confuses me."

"You know- mon ami, you rarely talk about her, why's that?" Zach tilted his head, oddly intrigued at him bringing her up now.

"Not much for me to talk about, why? Are you wanting me to tell you more? There's nothing interesting about a talking cat."

"... I suppose you are right, Batter. Here, a talking cat is rather normal, isn't it? I see why you don't pay attention to her."

"Yes, also she is very annoying at times and says words I don't understand. I like to ignore her ramblings so I don't look crazy. Not that she's offended, she says it happens often." Batter sounded so casual, like this was normal. Zach wasn't so worried, just curious.

"Does she have a name? I don't think I ever got it."

"I call her Colour, just for short. She says others are unable to see her because she's not bonded to them, whatever that means. All I know is that she keeps me alive, holds my items, and helps me with words I don't understand. Also she helps me see in the daylight."

"Oh?" Zacharie was interested, unsure if he had heard this before. It had been a long month, so maybe a recap might be nice. "How so?" He flicked on all the lights, making Batter hiss and close his eyes, burying his head in the jacket. "How many fingers am I holding up?" The Merchant actually held up fingers, and without even glancing, Batter guessed the number with an angry growl.

"Three." It was right, and Zach was actually surprised. Not that he knew, but that he never even had to look. With the silence in the room, Zach slowly flicked the lights off.

"Well then, I guess now we know you aren't one for lying."

"Usually when you close your eyes, you're not supposed to see yourself, so yeah, I'm not really inclined to lie about that." Groaning, the Purifier hissed once more, rubbing his eyes with one hand. "Thanks for blinding me, Colour really enjoyed that too. I hope you didn't forget that cats are also creatures that see in the dark, right? Warn a guy next time."

"You're right, sorry about that." Zach rubbed his arm, quite apologetic that he had done that. It was a little rude for his standards, and Batter hadn't done anything to deserve getting flashed in the face, yet.

"Yeah, it's whatever, I'll live." Batter grumbled as he put his arm back inside the jacket, looking up at Dedan. "I don't think the doctors would approve of this, and by that I mean they won't like you on the bed. As much as it's comfy, let's not give the doctors more stress than they already have." Dedan growled out a low, "FINE." He knew Batter was right, so he couldn't just brush it off. It was probably also around the time he should leave and get back to work, so it was useless to really dispute it. "

YEAH, YOU'RE RIGHT, I SHOULD BE GETTING BACK HERE SOON ANYWAYS, I HAVE SOME INSPECTIONS I HAVE TO DO TODAY. THOSE BUILDINGS DON'T CHECK THEMSELVES! FUCKING SADLY, IT WOULD HELP SO MUCH IF I DIDN'T HAVE TO CHECK MYSELF, BUT I CAN'T TRUST ANYONE TO DO IY RIGHT. IF YOU WANT IT DONE RIGHT, DO IT YOURSELF."

"Except when yourself gets nearly killed often when you do it yourself." Batter chimed in, a smug little grin at the man as they carefully uncoupled.

"NOT EVERYONE IS AS CLUMSY AS YOU, BATTER. SOME OF US HAVE THE NEED TO LIVE BUILT IN A LOT BETTER."

"Oh hush you two, if you start now, nothing will get done. Get out of here, Monsieur, I can take care of mon ami Batter. It's nothing I haven't done before. Last time I had to be the doctor!" Zacharie emphasized the I in the last sentence, a mixed tone as he ended. That was a scary moment for both men, neither knowing if Batter would make it. Lucky for them, he did, twice. A funny joke for anything trying to get rid of him permanently, a sort of Fuck You to the world. Perhaps Batter is a kind of Fuck You himself, a test that he could have defied what he was told to do, and do even better. Instead of being merciless, the Purifier had been thrown into a position where he could have been offed easily, had he tried to go down that path. That in itself is proof that he could take care of himself, and he knew how to stay alive, it was just a matter of how important staying alive felt at the time. This whole situation was wild to Batter, one small change anywhere, and there could have been a whole other outcome. Time is a very confusing subject.


	11. Getting Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Batter is finally out of the hospital, and Zacharie takes him out to blow some time off before they have to board the ship with Dedan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for such a long wait! The chapter is twice as long as usual, so it has been taking a while to write and edit.
> 
> A real big thanks to the two who let me borrow their ocs to make this chapter special.  
> V: https://toyhou.se/7464251.v  
> Jack: https://mobile.twitter.com/emmet_irl
> 
> This isn't abandoned and ill keep updating until its finished! It just takes a while. Thank you all for your patience and support! A03 is being weird with letting me reply to comments, but I read and appreciate all that I get. With that all being said, enjoy where the story actually starts picking up. Thank you all once more, I wouldn't be able to keep this up without you all.
> 
> Chapter cw/tw(s): last chapter to deal with the hospital, very light talk around some dark topics such as ED's and touching. Nothing too serious, but the warning is there nonetheless.

A physical recovery was easy, with his stable condition and ability to stand on his own for long enough, getting out of the dreary hospital was no problem. Walking was a bit of a pain, but Batter wasn't one to show he was hurting unless it was extreme; plus he figured he could get Dedan to help if he just asked nicely enough. Everything hurt a lot more now that he had been off the pain medication for a few days before being let out, but he had enough time to get used to it so he wasn't about to start complaining. 

Now that Batt was out, that meant they had to start thinking of going to Zone 2. Zacharie had said that he got a boat trip lined up for them, and that Dedan set up a room for all three of them to stay in. The trip on the Boat itself was going to take at least 3 days, but that was the price they had to pay for less instant travel. 

As the colder season steadily rolled by, warmer clothes were needed. Elsen broke out thick jackets and sweaters, formal clothes being needed less, as warmth is prioritized over formal wear. Cattle bred for pulling carts had thicker coats this time of year, but still had to be given many breaks to warm up inside the barns. They even had the cattle with the wooly coats pulling carts, as they could handle the cold better. Tailors broke out their winter clothes for their displays, restaurants had more soups than usual to combat the cold, life went on as normal, despite the cold temperatures.

The Guardian was unable to make it to Batter getting released from the hospital, as he had work to do, and a few things to wrap up before their departure later today. Zacharie had to be there instead, not that he minded, as he had prepared a few things for them to do when Batter got out. It was mainly things that had to get done anyways, but Batt didn't care at all, he was just happy to be outside once more. Zone 1 had gotten much colder in the while he had been cooped up inside, their rainy season was coming to a close, but with the drop in temperature, they would get snow instead of rain. The streets had been upkept, snow and ice shoved aside and dealt with for safety, while the rest of the Zone was covered in snow banks and paths made by workers trudging along and using shovels for the high banks. The housing areas were less kept up than the city centers, but access to them was easier than less traveled places in the Zone. 

The air was cold, it felt like it nipped at Batt's skin, little needles of frost digging into his exposed face. The snow outside made it impossible to keep his eyes open, the light hurt too much, and it was too cold to know where he was even going, it was over all very blinding. His puppeteer had to do the seeing for him while outside, not that he minded much, she knew what she was looking at much more than he did. It did feel odd, though. Almost a feeling of being outside his body, being beside himself while still having to be in control. He had gotten used to it by now, it was quite helpful, though he could tell that people were disturbed at how he could navigate as if he was seeing with his eyes closed- which was exactly what he was doing.

Zach had given Batter some clothes to borrow while they went out. He was given a shirt that matched the old undershirt he wore, turtleneck and all, and basic pants that Zach said went under a normal pair. Batt was quite fond of turtlenecks, seeing as it helped trap more heat. While they weren't as warm as Batt hoped, Zach said with where they were going it was going to be worth it. He sure hoped so, as he was starting to get very cold, very quickly. 

The weather was odd, cold air with a chilled breeze, but with the sun out, there was a warm beam on one side of you. An strangely nice day, but Batter couldn't complain, because it could be a lot worse. Funny enough, tomorrow is supposed to be a moody day for both Zones, but maybe that's just the price one has to pay for a conveniently nice day.

The two's first stop was a fairly cozy sized shop, something clearly meant for less looking around, and more picking up an order. Fabrics lined the walls, bright colours and fancy patterns that seem more decorative than something someone might actually want. A bell rang as the two men entered the shop, a tiny shout coming from the back saying that he would be there soon. The window display had dummies dressed formally, the only new addition for the season change being a coat. Zach was patiently waiting at the front desk as Batt wandered the small area set up for customers. When the owner came out, Zach greeted him warmly, the two clearly knowing each other. 

"Zach!"  
The owner gave the Merchant a hug, a happy smile on his face; they seemed to be good friends.  
"How has it been going? Are you ready to pick them up today?"

"Ah- yes! I am ready, I brought my friend with me so he can get them on now, he just got out."  
Zach chuckled slightly when he turned to see Batter busy feeling some of the fabric samples. As the elsen looked Batter over, he gave a quick nod before making his way to the back

"Oh yes, it should fit him just fine, let me go get your order."  
There were rustling sounds in the back as the worker had to navigate the hellish back.  
"Give me a second please! It's quite messy back here!"

"Take your time, no rush!"  
Zach put his bag down, starting to look through it and pulling out a few rolls of fabric. The elsen came out with two pieces of clothing, putting them on the desk and looking at the fabric rolls as they were placed on the counter as well.  
"I know I have paid already, but here is a tip, for getting it done on such short notice."

"O-oh! Thank you- you really don't have to though-"

"I insist, take them, it's my tip."  
Zach pushed the rolls over, the elsen hesitantly taking them with a nervous grin.

"Thank you, Zach."  
Placing the rolls behind the counter, he pushed the items of clothing to Zacharie  
"Have your friend try them on here, so I know they fit"

"Of course."  
Taking the clothes, Zach called over Batter, the two meeting halfway as they walked towards each other.  
"I got you these, mon ami. You'll need them."  
He handed over a hoodie and some warm pants, having been tailored for him. Batt was unsure on how to take the gift, but was very happy about it.

"You got these made for me? You didn't need to-"

"Yeah, I didn't. I wanted to."  
Zach had given Batter a replacement for his undershirt to wear now, seeing as his clothes had gotten destroyed pretty much, but these were definitely going to be his new fit, it was much warmer. The Merchant took the hoodie out and started to slip it on Batt, not waiting for his friend to struggle to get it on, unsure if Batter even knew how to dress himself. The Purifier made a few embarrassed cries as his friend put the top on him, huffing after he was able to pull away. He couldn't lie, the texture was nice, and it was warm so perhaps he will like this more than he thought at first. Plus, Zacharie went out of his way to have the sleeves of the otherwise white hoodie, orange. It was a nice little touch, he liked it, the whole thing fit quite nice, maybe a little big, but it fit.  
"How does it feel?"

"Nice, a little big I think, but it is warm, so I assume it gets the job done. The orange is nice."

"Good! Now throw these pants over those ones, it'll help keep you warmer."  
Handing over the dark coloured pants, Zach watched as his friend put them on, seeing them fit snugly. So he knew how to put pants on at least, now Zacharie knew that much.  
"Looks like those fit just as well! That will make the rest of the day much easier."

"The rest of the day? You mean there's more?"

"Of course! We have a whole day to kill, mon ami! Are you ready?"  
Zach walked back over to the counter, picking up his bag, zipping it up, and throwing it back on.  
"Thank you again, it's very well done for how soon we needed it."  
The elsen and the Merchant exchanged kind words as the two left, Zach sort of dragging Batter behind him. With proper clothing for the cold, it was a lot easier to be out and about. To add to the already nice functionality, it had strings to make the hood close up, which felt nice on his light sensitive eyes. Zacharie could tell that Batt was fond of the sweater already, glad that his gift was going to be put to good use. He isn't one to really give things to people, but to him it was worth it this time. 

Zach still had things he had to do today, so Batter was more or less along for the ride, not like The Purifier had many places to be in the first place. Batt wasn't sure what they were doing today, but he didn't mind. He was just enjoying being outside and being able to do things once again. Being cramped up for days in a room like that was utter hell, and he rather not do it again.

"I'm hungry, what about you?"  
Zacharie spoke up, looking back at his friend.

"I could go for something real, sure."

"Yeah, the food in those hospitals are never really all that good. I'm sure you'll feel much better after eating."

"But I don't really feel all that bad? I mean, my back sort of hurts, but I was sort of crushed by a lot of.. everything, really. So I'm not surprised at that."  
Batter scrunched up his nose and exhaled in slight annoyance. 

"Trust me, it'll help. There's this one place I really enjoy, I think you'll like it too."  
The Merchant sounded excited, a happy tone to him as he placed a hand on his tall friends shoulder.

"Hm, okay. I trust your taste."  
Batt knew nothing about what Zach liked to eat, but he was about to find out. He has no reason not to trust Zach so far, he seemed very trustworthy.

"You'll like it, I know it. You have a taste for meat, correct?"

"Of course."

"Then you'll like this."  
Zacharie's line of reasoning was pretty sound, Batter had to give him that. He was fond of meat, he had a preference for it over everything else. Though maybe that was purely the fact that his teeth were sharp, obviously meant for a more meat-rich diet.

The place Zach had in mind sat between two regular stores, one that looked to sell real books! Though they were advertised as paper-cut free. That seemed like a stretch, Batt doubted that, that was really the case, or even possible. The eatery they went to looked welcoming, a neon sign in the window saying OPEN being lit despite it being daytime. The wall colours were duller than the others, paint faded from sunlight always being on it. The inside walls were stained with the smells of cooked beef, sizzling from the kitchen able to be heard even from the door. Warm colours plastered the walls on the inside, having been decorated by an artist who painted barn scenes all over. Cattle skulls adorned the walls, dead and dried plants strategically placed inside the eyes and between the teeth. Tables and chairs were dolled up boxes and crates, and the whole thing had an overall rustic feel to it. It was a little early for most to want to eat here, but Zach liked being early. By the time food would end up at the table, the place would most likely be filled with workers on their lunch breaks. The Merchant made it a habit to miss all the rushes, he rather be early than be caught up in a crowd; which Batter thought was pretty smart of Zach, he would never want to be caught in a crowd either. Not that large groups were bad, it was just that large numbers made Batter feel uneasy, being crowded made it feel like he had less room to breathe. It was a little distressing, but he wasn't one to flat out say how he was feeling. What would it do anyways? They're your feelings, what's the other person going to do? Batter just didn't understand the importance of saying how one felt unless explicitly asked. If he didn't want to do something, he just wouldn't. No need to state why, at least in his eyes. 

Zacharie sat the two down at a table by a wall, trying to give them space from all the other workers that would be crowding the eatery when rush hour hit. The tables were clearly suited best for the small elsen's, but Batter didn't mind all that much, he just felt bad for Dedan. The man never fits right in any of their chairs, no wonder he's so angry all the time. Batt would be angry too if he couldn't sit down comfortably in any of the chairs. The Guardians legs were too big, they would always be tucked into him or tangled in Batter's legs. Sometimes the problem could be fixed by sitting in his lap, but honestly? Batter never really did that in public, he was more comfortable being affectionate in private. He wasn't fond of all the looks he got, it made him feel nervous, like they were watching and judging. He hated those who did that, even he tried not to judge too quickly. Sometimes people just wear their heart on their sleeve though, so it can get tough not to judge if the heart they wear is clearly corrupted. Not to even get started on how the Purifier felt while being so close to Dedan, it was almost an intoxicating feeling the closer he got, and that wasn't exactly what he is wanting to expose to the public. The Merchant spoke up as he noticed his friend spacing out, thoughts clearly elsewhere.

"Do you like it? I think the decorations are quite nice."  
Batter snapped out of his thoughts, eyes focusing on Zach and his frogish mask.

"Pardon?"

"The restaurant, do you like it? Personally, I am very fond of the skull decorations. Some might call it a little morbid, but everything in this world is in one way or another."  
Zacharie chuckled to himself, watching as Batter stared up at the bovine skull above them. The Merchant wondered what was going through the man's head as his eyes would dart between all the dried plants and flowers decorating the sockets and teeth.

"Yes, I suppose you're right on that, it is a little morbid, isn't it. And yes, I think it's all quite nice. I like the care put into all the decorations, it's interesting to look at."  
He looked back at Zacharie, eyes squinting as clouds moved out of the way of the sun caused a beam of light in an uncomfortable spot. 

"I'm glad you agree!"  
Zach laughed softly as a waiter sauntered up to their table and handed them menus. Zacharie could tell that Batt wasn't paying attention anymore, as he wasn't even making any sort of eye contact with the worker, mind most likely somewhere else once again. The elsen scurried off as Zach asked for water for them.  
"Is everything alright, mon ami? You look like you're off in space."

"Space? No, I don't think I'm in space, last time I checked this was a restaurant."  
He was completely serious as he said this, making Zacharie have to force himself not to laugh too much.

"Ah- it's a saying, I don't mean it literally. What's on your mind? You look like you're thinking hard about something."

"Do you not always have some sort of thought on your mind?"

"Well, yes, of course I'm usually thinking about something, but you look lost in thought. What's on your mind, mon ami?"  
Zach put a hand on his jaw, resting his head on his palm as he gave Batter an expectant look.

"Well…"  
The Purifier paused on his words, pondering how to word his thoughts.  
"Before I was thinking about how it must suck for Dedan, because mostly all the chairs are elsen sized."  
Zacharie laughed at Batter's statement, clearly amused.

"Well, you're not wrong! They would be harder on him, wouldn't they?"

"Yes, which is a little surprising since he took me out to eat so many times. It was quite nice, but our legs ended up tangled most of the time because he had nowhere for his legs to really go."  
Batter's face looked like he was still lost in thought as he was speaking. Zach noticed right away, he was quite good at reading Batter's face, but it helped that the big oaf wasn't really aware of the faces he made.

"You two seem to have gotten really close over the two weeks I left you alone with him."

"Yes, we have gotten very close."  
The Merchant eyed Batter over, holding his words as the waiter brought over two glasses of water to their table. Zach waved the elsen away, saying they needed a little more time to decide. As they were left alone once more, Zach kept his voice fairly low as he spoke again.

"I can tell, Dedan seems very fond of you. How much so?"  
He felt the need to pry a little, only because he was curious about what happened while he was gone. Zacharie listened to Batter as he opened both of their menus so they could try to decide while speaking, motioning for his friend to start speaking.

"Dedan was quite affectionate once we got to know each other. I think he warmed up to me quite quickly because he had to help take care of me, I'm not sure."

"Affectionate? How so?"  
Zach tilted his head, only skimming the food options, more interested in his friend's story.

"Oh, he is very physical with me. He can't seem to keep his hands off me half the time."  
He laughed, his voice sounding almost cheerful. The Merchant couldn't help but feel a little worried, still seeing his friend thinking about something behind those unfocused eyes.

"Oh?"

"Yeah. You know, usually you talk a lot more, is everything alright? Is it something I had said?"  
Batt's eyes suddenly focused on Zacharie, making him jump slightly.

"Oh, no! No, no, no. I'm just curious, I just want to make sure it's all alright."

"How do you know when it's not alright?"

"Well.."  
Zacharie paused for a second, trying to think of how to put it. He could tell Batter was growing concerned the longer he didn't speak, which made him himself nervous.  
"If someone is touching you somewhere you don't like without asking permission, then it's not alright."  
The Merchant felt a lump in his throat as he tried to explain, this was all very awkward.

"... How are you supposed to know if you want it or not?"  
Batter tilted his head, watching Zacharie try to not choke on his words.

"You… well, you just sort of know. It's… I'm not sure how to explain it in such a public setting."  
Zach was thankful for his mask hiding his expressions as he watched Batters eyes dilate when he realized that the topic was uncomfortable in this setting, his body language washing over to uncomfortable as he picked up the menu and started a completely new conversation. Zach could feel something behind the man's voice as he talked, almost feeling bad for making things awkward.

"I like how restaurants seem to all have their own dishes. You never really go to a different one for the same thing, I think the variety is nice."  
The Purifier's eyes seemed to only glance at the pages, probably trying to not get lost in his thoughts once more.

"Ah- yes, it is very nice, isn't it? I like how they do their beef here, it's quite lovely. I think you'll enjoy it. If you want, we can get something to share."

"If you want to, I am not very picky about what I eat. Dedan just made me because it's 'good for me' or something like that. It's boring and makes me feel weird, but I don't complain."

"Pardon?"  
Zach seemed taken aback at Batters comment, pressing a little further.

"I'm not a fan of eating, the process makes me feel weird. I don't like it, but I do it because everyone else seems to, and I would stand out otherwise."

"Do you not feel hungry ever?"

"What's that supposed to feel like?"  
Batter was serious, and it seemed to floor Zach. There was a silence between them as neither knew what to say.

"Batter, mon ami. Mi amour… my buddy, my pal. I want you to be 100% honest with me when I ask this."

"Amour?"

"Batter."

"Yes?"

"Do you have body image issues? Is that why you don't like it? Are you ashamed of something?"

"What?"  
Batter was taken aback, sounding confused, almost defensive.  
"Ashamed? I don't really even know what I look like, I don't look at myself in reflections."

"Why not? There's plenty of windows and reflective things around the zone. Let me ask this again."  
Zach put his own menu down, staring Batter down with a serious tone.  
"Do you have issues with how you look? Is that why you don't like eating? What about it makes you so uncomfortable? You're not in trouble, mon ami. I'm genuinely curious."  
He kept staring Batt down, watching the man shift in his seat, clearly uncomfortable. Lucky for the Purifier, the waiter had made his rounds to them again, asking if they were ready to order. Seeing Batter be so iffy, Zach just got them a soup to share, so it wasn't long before they were alone again.  
"Well? I told you, you're not in trouble. These are normal things living beings go through. You shouldn't worry about eating, dear. You really do need to do it to survive. You're lucky Dedan forced you to take care of yourself, not everyone's so dedicated."  
There was a silence as Zacharie reached over and grabbed Batts hand, gently thumbing it over as he looked him right in the eyes again.  
"Taking care of yourself is really important, you're too careless with yourself. I'd think you'd learn to be more gentle on yourself, but apparently not…"  
Zach bit his lip and inhaled sharply, a deep sigh coming from him.  
"Batter, your bat is the weapon, not you. You can get a new bat, we can't get another you. Sure, the game could spawn another you, but it won't be the same. There's one you, Batter, that's it. Try to be a little kinder on yourself, okay? You don't need to hold yourself up so high all the time. You're alive just like me, you have your own thoughts and feelings, don't ignore that shit. If something is wrong, tell me, I'll try to help. You're not in this alone, you have help. Don't act like you have to sacrifice yourself, if we all work together, maybe we have a shot at this this time; but that means that you'll keep existing after the mission is done. Once your purpose is filled, you won't just disappear. You have to remember that."

"...Okay."  
Batter had a rough time making eye contact with Zach, clearly feeling something he wasn't able to express clearly. With a defeated exhale, the Merchant pulled his hand away and rested his face on a fist.

"I have a few more stops to make today. I told Dedan he could meet us here for lunch, but I'm not sure if he will show up or not. If he does show up, then you could go with him after lunch if you want. Either way, we were going to meet up at the boat a little early so we have time to do something before we get on."

"I think I'll stay with you for today, we haven't really had the chance to do things like this."  
The little smile that cracked on Batt's face made Zach grin under his mask.

"Of course, I'm sure you'll have fun with where we are going today."  
He chuckled, staring his friend over.  
"It's not very interesting work, but you seem to enjoy seeing all the new places. You find any store you like in particular?"  
Tilting his head, Zach watched his friend think about his answer.

"Well, there was this one store I got to see. He sold supplies to make little uh. Models of stuff? He had tiny little worlds in his bookshelf. I liked how much detail he would put into it all, it was nice."  
Batt looked content as he thought back to the store, the little bookshelf world's were cute to him, time consuming, but cute.

"Oh, I've visited him before! His store is quite nice, providing an activity to do while off work is nice of him. I know pretty much everyone from all the Zones! I get a lot of customers,"  
Zacharie laughed to himself, a smile under his mask.  
"I have a friend who turns discarded plastic pebbles from the ocean into polished little rocks for necklaces and such, it's quite impressive what they have all managed to do."

"Indeed, I am very impressed. It is nice how they all managed to make the Zones their home, even during a crisis." 

"Yes, Monsieur Dedan sure has done the best job he could, hasn't he? His mood seems to have improved since I left him with you. Do you two have any long term plans?"  
The question seemed to surprise Batter, almost as if he was caught off guard and was struck in a place he wasn't expecting. 

"Ah- what are you suggesting, Zach? You've been asking an awful lot of personal questions. Are you jealous or something?"

"Jealous?"  
Zacharie scoffed, laughing at the notion.  
"Deary me, no! I'm not jealous at all, I am very happy for you, in fact! I am just curious, is that a crime?"

"Well, no-"

"Then I don't see why you are so defensive about this. If you want to keep it a secret, that is fine by me, but if you're gay, I don't judge."  
Zach watched as Batter took a second to process what was said, probably needing his puppeteer to explain the word Gay. Batt suddenly choked on himself, his face turning dark and lowering his voice to a whisper.

"I- Zach, should we really be discussing this..? Especially in public? I understand you are trying to be kind and supportive, but this.."  
Batter fumbled with his hoodie strings, clearly uncomfortable and nervous as he looked around at the seats that were slowly being filled as rush hour approached.

"I don't think you should be ashamed, mon ami. There's no shame in it, why are you so afraid?"

"Afraid? Me? No. Uncomfortable with the topic? Yes."

"Why?"  
The two stared at each other for a bit, Batter sinking into his seat slowly.

"Why? Zach, I- I don't know, alright? I don't know most things, I never said I was smart. I advertise myself as able to purify shit, that's not a job a smart being has to fill…"

"Bold of you to assume I'm calling you stupid, dear."  
Zach chuckled as he watched his embarrassed friend squirm in his seat.

"I knew you didn't call me that, I called myself that. I don't know why this makes me so uncomfortable, I just don't feel like this is a topic we should.. be talking about so publicly. No one has to know if I am or not, alright? So what if Dedan and I seem to have something going? It's whatever, it's our business. He.."  
Batter huffed, pulling his hood up and yanking on the strings to hide his face.  
"Dedan is a nice man, he has some anger issues, but you would too if you felt like you had the world on your back. He treats me nice, and is clearly concerned for me, so I like him. He makes nice company, and I like listening to him talk about the same topics over and over again. So what? It's no one's business. Maybe they should be thanking me for getting on his soft side."

"Mon amour, I'm not-"  
Zacharie sighed and grabbed one of Batters hands, staring at his hood that covered his friend's face.  
"I am not judging you for a single second. If you like him and the attention he gives you, good. I'm happy for you and glad you two get along so well. I'm not trying to sound judgemental at all, and if I had come across that way, I do apologize. This can be a touchy topic, so why don't we set it down for now, okay? You're right, we should talk about this much more privately, and your two's intimacy is none of my business. Do you want to change the subject?"

"Yes."

"Alright, then we will speak about something else then."  
Zach pulled away, taking his hands off and holding them together.  
"So, how did you manage to clear the Zone without purifying Dedan?"

"Well, it's not exactly clear. I got into that accident because I was looking for a spectre. It's close, though. It might have to do with Dedan, I think. It's all gotten a lot better the more his mood has improved with me around. Sometimes I am a tad worried about them coming back, but they seem to be going down."

"Well, that does make a lot of sense. Dedan had told me his Zone hasn't seen any spectres for a while, so that may be a good sign!"

"Or a bad one. They could be waiting for us to leave."

"If that's the case, I'm sure the elsen can take care of themselves."

"That's not a very good joke, Zach. We both know that won't happen."  
Batter had slowly come out of his little shell, looking a lot more confident once more.  
"We would be lucky if they were alive by the time we return."

"Oh, don't be such a downer, Batter. There's still a good chance that it'll all be fine, that would be too cruel for a game."

"It would be cruel enough, there is no such thing as 'too cruel,' Zacharie. The God's will do what they want, don't underestimate how impure they can be."

"You seem to have a dislike for higher beings, mon ami. Are you intimidated by things stronger than you? Is that part of your… attraction to Dedan? A way to cope with a possible fear of things you know you cannot defeat?"  
Batter fell silent as his face darkened again, stumbling over all his words.  
"I wouldn't put it past you, mon ami. You do act a little differently around him."

"Ah- what do you mean by that?"

"You don't talk as much with him around, you're a lot more quiet. A lot more calm visibly as well, your body language is a lot more relaxed around him."

"He makes me feel safe, you would feel safe around someone like that as well once they didn't want to kill you."

"How do you know he doesn't want to kill you?"

"He could have murdered me while we were cuddled up with each other, Zach. The fact I am alive today means he cares. I may be a dumbass, but I know when someone is showing me love."

"Do you?"  
Zach tilted his head, a wide smile under his mask.

"What's that supposed to mean?"  
Batter looked him over, his eyes darting around, looking for some answer that he knew wasn't there.

A waiter came up to their table with a fairly large bowl of beef stew for the both of them. Zach saw the odd look on Batter's face as he stared the food down, shooing the waiter off with a thank you.

"Ah, what lovely timing, don't you think? Go ahead, try it, I want to see what you think."  
He watched as Batter ended up just staring at the soup on his spoon, giving a weird face. There was a pause before Batt looked up at Zach, a look in his eyes that the Merchant couldn't interpret well.

"Maybe you're right, Zach."

"Hm?"

"I think I might have… issues. With eating."  
The Purifier forced himself to consume what was on the spoon, an uncomfortable look on his face. The food tasted just fine, so Zacharie understood that the problem was clearly deeper.

"It's okay, my dear.. just try to eat what you can, if you get hungry later, I can get you something."

"Oh- you really don't have to-"

"I know, I want to. I don't usually do this for people, it's my way to show I care."  
He stared at Batter as he took a spoonful himself, noting that the food is indeed just fine.  
"Why do you think it makes you so uncomfortable? Eating, that is. What about it makes you… upset? Is that a good word to use?"

"I'm not sure. All I know is that it makes me feel… weird. Not a nice weird, a bad weird. Yes, there is a distinct difference in the vibes of good and bad weird."

"Alright, what's an example then?"

"Hmm.."  
Zach watched as his friend made himself have more, still looking uncomfy.  
"I think it's the process? The thought of eating, maybe? It doesn't make me feel sick when I eat, it just feels wrong. Even if it's supposed to be something I actually enjoy the taste of, the thought of eating makes me feel…. Bad? Wrong. It makes me feel wrong. The food is very nice though, each restaurant seems to have their own flavours and such. I know many reuse things from other meals, or uh. The grease from the meats as oil, the process of cooking is quite fascinating I find. I wouldn't mind learning how, even if it's a conflict of interest. It feels like a form of art in a way, to me at least."

"Mon ami?"

"Mm?"

"Do you think that the issue of consuming might be fixed if you just… learned how to make it yourself? Maybe the distrust for it might settle if you saw the process, or learned more about what you're actually eating."

"Maybe."  
Batter shrugged, thinking about the suggestion.  
"I wouldn't doubt it, though I am a little busy to learn how to cook. The whole... purifying the world, you know?"

"Oh, of course, but you also don't have time to be developing some sort of eating disorder."

"What?"  
Batter tilted his head, unsure of what the world even meant.

"Ah- right. You may have quite the vocabulary, but you probably don't know what a lot of it even means, huh? All the word really means is uh.. you know, just scramble the words around. Disordered eating. Some sort of trouble preventing one from consuming healthily. There's plenty of issues it can stem from, but they are all quite personal. Everyone has their own stories with it."

"Have you struggled with it, Zach?"  
Zach choked on his food for a second, scaring himself and Batter before he was able to clear his throat.

"Oh- uh- I wasn't being literal, not everyone struggles with it, but it's not uncommon, sadly. Though to answer your question, not really. I never had to worry about that. Which makes me think, my dear friend…"  
The Merchant stared Batter in the eyes, squinting slightly.  
"Where have you learned such behavior? Has someone shamed you? Did you see or hear someone say something or do something?"

"Learned? Is it not supposed to be an innate discomfort? I mean, I don't always totally feel uncomfortable I suppose? I just. Uh.. I am not sure."  
Batter stared at the food as he scrunched his nose up, trying a little more.  
"Maybe it's the thought of eating that makes it all weird? Or just having to sit down in public? Fuck, I'm really not sure. I'm not an expert on myself."

"A shame, really, but I guess no one can master themselves in a few weeks!"  
Zacharie laughed a little as his friend joined in, only a small chuckle coming from him.  
"It takes a lifetime to discover yourself, and you never end up the same as you started.."  
Zach's voice trailed off, seemingly getting lost in his own thoughts himself. Batter had noticed right away, mostly because of the change in tone. He always paid close attention to the tone of someone's voice, as much as he could at least.

"That made you think of something. You've had quite the life experience, haven't you? I won't ask, at least not so publicly. I have decency."

"Yes, yes. I am sorry for bringing up such sensitive topics, mon ami. I didn't realize you could experience such strong embarrassment."  
The Merchant gave a smirk under his mask as he saw Batt stumble over words.  
"Oh calm down, dear. No one is here to judge you, they have their own problems to worry about. Are you even listening to them? Of course not, so why would they listen to you? You have privacy in public, not everyone can have their eyes on you at once."

"Hmph. Yes, okay, whatever you say. I am just.. I don't know. I suppose I am being irrational, aren't I?"

"No! Don't say that, feelings may be irrational at times, but that will never stop you from feeling them. You shouldn't shame yourself for something you cannot control. You can control how you act on feelings, but you don't command the feelings themselves."  
Zach patted his friends hand with a small laugh, trying to sooth him.  
"Don't shame yourself for things you don't know how to help or control, it only makes you feel worse. How about you try to eat a little more, okay? We have a big day ahead of us, I don't want you getting hungry at a bad time."

"You're right, I should at least try."

The two would chat away as they shared the bowl of broth, rush hour leaving just as fast as it came. Zacharie was a relaxed man, he liked to try and take his time when he could, stop and take in everything. It also helped him miss all the rushes, crowds were never a man's best friend. Dedan had never ended up showing up. Zach wasn't surprised, really. The man had a lot of work to do before their departure, it wasn't a shock that he worked through his lunch break. Batter was a tad upset that Dedan had never showed up, so Zacharie decided that they would take him a little treat for lunch, even if it meant waiting a little longer for the food. Neither really minded, it was much warmer inside here than it was outside, and Zach wanted to give Batter a good rest before making him walk so much. Maybe the walk to Dedan would be enough to let Batt know if he really wanted to be up and about all day.

It wasn't too long before they were out again, the Purifier holding the take out for the Guardian. Batt seemed happy that they were going to visit Dedan, he looked a lot brighter than he had before, his nervous demeanor had faded away at the prospect of seeing his dear friend. 

The outside was still cold, but the ice problem had been taken care of by now. Elsens always worked quickly, it was something they all seemed to be relatively good at. Letting some of them work exclusively in their shops had really helped improve moods, with so many workers coming in and out, it was badly needed. No matter what the Guardian did to try to help things, it all did seem like it eventually crumbled in his hands. All his work on trying to keep his Zone afloat while his friends seemed to let theirs fall was bound to be stressful. Batter had never really thought much about how Dedan acted around him. He figured it was pretty normal, they had both come to trust each other completely, they were both capable of killing each other if they really wanted to, but neither ever made aggressive moves on the other on purpose. Sure, Batter sometimes was fine one second, and then suddenly he found himself with his teeth sunken into the poor Guardian, but that was never intentional. Plus, Dedan seemed to understand and had slowly managed to avoid whatever kept triggering Batt to suddenly attack him like that on accident. Batter could tell he could trust Dedan, no snake would be so consistent in everything, there would be a slip up. Had Dedan wanted The Purifier dead, he could have long before now. Though, perhaps the fact that he doesn't want him dead should be something to ponder. The first day they met, it was quite clear Dedan could have killed him instantly. Batt's pathetic excuse for an attack was nothing compared to what the Guardian was able to do, he could have been gone in seconds; but even then the man had shown mercy, not even trying to hurt Batter when he had the chance to. Instead, he was more defensive if anything, holding Batt down so he couldn't try anything like that again. 

There was that odd feeling again. No, not the one he got while eating. The strange, good weird feeling. The Purifier didn't understand the feeling, nor why the thought of Dedan holding him down like that again gave him it. Quite a few things that the man did gave him the feeling. Hell, sometimes just thinking about him could give him the feelings. Probably what made it the strongest, was when they were physically close together. It's like a weird magnet that just draws him in naturally, maybe it's how warm the man is compared to Zach? Zacharie is colder, just above a room temperature. A yellow-green, like a field that was starting to die off as fall rolled on through. Dedan is a much more strong colour, a bright red, he radiates heat constantly. The heat was very comforting to Batter, so perhaps that's why he enjoys being so physical with him. It could be many things, there was a lot about the Guardian to take in while they were so close.

The door to Dedans office, Batt having spaced out the whole way there, opened slowly. It wasn't uncommon for him to tune out, sometimes he just got very lost in thought. Good thing he had a Puppeteer to guide him when he wasn't paying attention. The two men could hear the pissy Guardian calling them inside, waltzing in quickly as the door shut behind them. The door had enough weight to it that it could close by itself, rather handy Batter thought.

"Hello, Monsieur Dedan! We brought a surprise!"  
Zach got the big man's attention, the both of them watching as Dedan went from angry, to excited.

"ZACH, BATTER!"  
Dedan got up from his chair and reached over at Batter, lifting him up with ease. He pulled his small buddy onto his lap as he sat back down, wrapping his arms around him in a big hug.  
"GOD, IT'S SO GOOD TO SEE YOU OUT AND ABOUT, BATTER. ARE YOU DOING BETTER?"  
He curled himself around Batt, pressing his face to the other to kiss him. The Purifier squirmed in the others lap, actually laughing quite a bit as the other gave all the pent up affection that had been building up. 

"Yeah- I'm doing just fine, relax."  
Batter cooed at the other as he was pulled in more into a warm hug. He definitely could feel the feeling from before, but much stronger as he pressed himself into the other. The warmth was very welcoming after such a cold walk, we was comfy and wasn't planning on moving anytime soon.

"I SEE YOU GOT SOME NEW CLOTHES. THEY WARM ENOUGH FOR YOU?"

"Mhm. I like the orange on the one."

"GLAD YOU LIKE IT. DID YOU THANK ZACH?"

"Oh-"  
Zacharie pushed his way into the conversation with a calm laugh.  
"I don't remember, but it's fine, he has shown how much he enjoys it already. He would have needed new, warmer clothes anyways. Those ships can get very cold."

"YEAH, YOU'RE RIGHT THERE. THE SAILORS HAVE HAD THEIR WINTER GEAR OUT BEFORE WE HAVE. WHEN THEY START NEEDING IT, IT TELLS US THAT WE WILL TOO. I ASSUME YOU ALREADY HAVE WARM CLOTHES, ZACH?"

"Of course, Monsieur."  
The Merchant paused, looking Dedan over as he gently scratched at Batter's scalp, hearing the man purr in his arms.  
"I think the real question would be if YOU had warm clothes."

"OH SHUT YOUR DAMN TRAP, OF FUCKING COURSE I HAVE WARM CLOTHES! I WONT JUST THROW MY FUCKING JACKET ON. ITS IN MY OFFICE, I JUST TOOK IT OFF BECAUSE I GOT FUCKING HOT. IS THAT SO FUCKING BAD?"

"Let the man be shirtless for a while longer, Zach. We both know shirts are the only thing that actually contain this man. Let him have his freedom for a while."  
Batter turned his head to look at Zacharie as he spoke to him, a grin on the mans face. He was clearly very comfortable and happy with where he was, the Merchant almost felt bad for needing to take him away eventually.

"Clearly Dedan isn't the only one who likes him shirtless."  
He laughed as he watched Batter sink into the other, face darkened in embarrassment.

"Ooh, hush.."  
Batt had nothing more to really say, he was unsure how to act whilst flustered. So he just seeked out comfort from the Guardian, pressing into the man more as he felt the arms hug him tighter.

"WELL, HE DIDN'T DENY IT."  
Dedan laughed loudly, nuzzling the Purifier as he looked up at him.

"Hey- you're not supposed to join in on this! This isn't fair, you're ganging up on me."

"How is it unfair? You're the one who's all flustered over me stating a fact."  
Zacharie's smugness leaked out of his voice like smog from the mines, making Batter clearly squirm in Dedan's arms. Unable to really make a proper response to that, Batt mostly just mumbled out sounds and clung to the bigger other. Zach could tell that the two had a fondness for holding/being held by each other. The Merchant couldn't help but take in how the two interacted, the way they would look at each other, how Batter seemed to have no issues being held close, sometimes even looking to prefer close contact with the other. The way Dedan would hold the smaller man to him and shower him with constant physical affection, how he was constantly touching the other as his love language, a reassurance that he was still there. The tiny Purifier would lean into the other's touch and even rub his face on the man, he seemed to mostly return everything by sitting there and taking it with the happiest smile he had seen on Batt. 

"MAYBE WE SHOULD STOP TEASING THE POOR MAN. HE COULDN’T TAKE TWO PEOPLE DOING THAT AT ONCE."  
Dedan and Zach exchanged looks as the French man laughed to himself, both of them already knowing what the other is thinking.

"Yes, I suppose you're right, Monsieur… Though he seems to deal with you all the time."  
He would chuckle under his breath as Dedan made a frustrated screeching sound from his throat.

"ALRIGHT, THAT'S ENOUGH. WE DON'T WANT TO MAKE THE POOR SAP FUCKING EXPLODE FROM BEING TOO DAMN FLUSTERED. THE MAN DOESN'T KNOW HIS EMOTIONS YET, GIVE HIM A WHILE."

"Like you?"  
Zach tilted his head, a confident tone as he subtly prodded at the Guardian. Clearly, Dedan had been holding back on Batter, Zach could tell easily that he wanted more from the man, from his wandering touch, to how close he always held him by, it all just screamed that he was trying to take it as slow as he could. Zacharie could easily tell there was barely anything holding the Guardian back from trying to get serious, whatever that may be was Dedan's issue, and the two of them knew that.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP! YOU CARE TO EXPLAIN WHAT YOU MEAN TO BATTER? BECAUSE IF NOT, SHUT THE FUCK UP, ZACHARIE. FOR YOUR OWN GOD DAMN GOOD. I KNOW WHAT FUCKING SUBTEXT YOU'RE ADDING, SO UNLESS YOU'RE WILLING TO BE UP FRONT WITH THAT, I SUGGEST YOU BE QUIET FOR ONCE."  
They both stared at each other as Zach actually weighed his options. 

"Alright, I'll stop. I've already learned that those topics are a little difficult, I see that you've got this, clearly."

"YES, I DO. AS MUCH AS I WOULD LOVE TO TALK MORE, THIS HAS ALREADY BEEN A NICE SURPRISE-"

"I wasn't the surprise, it was this."  
Batter wriggled in the others arms, holding up the container of take out he had been protecting.  
"We got you lunch because you never showed up."

"OH- BY THE QUEENS THOUSAND FACES- I FUCKING FORGOT! OH MY FUCK- I'M SORRY, I GOT SO BUSY THAT TIME JUST FLEW BY.."

"It's okay, we brought it to you instead. You were always taking care of me, so now it's my turn. Take the food, we got it just for you."  
Batt grinned as the larger other took the food and placed it on his desk, bumping their faces together, cupping his face for a second.

"WELL, THANK YOU THEN. THAT WAS NICE OF YOU TWO, I WAS GETTING HUNGRY ANYWAYS SO YOU HAVE PERFECT TIMING."  
Spinning his chair to the side, he loosened his hug on Batter, watching the man press up close to him again with a soft, rumbling purr that came more from the chest.  
"I REALLY DO HAVE TO GET BACK TO WORK. I'LL SEE YOU LATER TODAY THOUGH, I PROMISE."  
Lifting the small man off him, he gave him one last "kiss," before putting him on the floor and giving him a gentle pet.  
"BE GOOD FOR ZACH. SAME GOES FOR YOU, ZACHARIE. DON'T BE PRESSING HIM TOO FUCKIN MUCH, HES HAD A ROUGH WEEK."

"Yes, yes, I know. I'm trying to take the day as slow as I can."  
The Merchant knew that Dedan was saying to not be teasing Batt too much, and/or not to push him with new words or concepts. He was just trying to be subtle, wanting to make sure that Batter wasn't able to understand what they were really saying.  
"I have a few shops I have to visit today, I am quite a large supplier here."

"YEAH, AS LONG AS YOU DONT IMPORT CERTAIN FUCKING ITEMS, I DON'T GIVE A SHIT. REMEMBER, IT'S ON SIGHT. ON. FUCKING. SIGHT."

"Dually noted. Batter, dear! I think we should go now. Say goodbye, and let's go. I have places to be."

"Okay."  
Batter stepped over to Dedan, the larger other suddenly pulling him in and bumping their heads together.

"I'LL SEE YOU LATER TODAY, OKAY? WE WILL ALL MEET AT THAT FISH PLACE I TOOK YOU TO THAT ONE DAY. YOU REMEMBER THAT? MAKE SURE MR MASK HERE DOESN'T GET LOST."  
Dedan laughed as the two pulled away from each other, a slight smile on Batt's face.

"Hah, okay. I'm sure I totally know this Zone better than the man who's been here longer than I."  
Clear sarcasm, the Purifier was comfortable with joking around with the other- that, or he just could understand when Dedan is joking more. Perhaps it was more obvious when Dedan was joking, to Batter at least.

"Oh yes, I will need someone to help me know where I am, for sure."  
The Merchant laughed and he grabbed Batt by the hand and starting to pull him to the door.  
"But, we have a long day ahead of us, say goodbye, mon ami."

"We will see you later, don't stress too hard."

"I WON'T, GO WITH ZACH, I HAVE TO GET BACK TO WORK ANYWAYS."  
They all waved their goodbyes as the two smaller men left the room, on their way to fully start the day.

The elevator ride up and down was always painstakingly long. So, to keep the silence away, Zach made small talk.

"You seem to enjoy being around Monsieur Dedan a lot, mon ami. You both look so happy when in the same room. I really do believe you have helped him. He might have helped you too."

"What's that supposed to mean?"  
Batter looked at Zacharie, the smaller man laughing and looking up at him.

"Well, you're very expressive compared to what I'm used to! Then again, we haven't had much time to talk this time."

"This time?"

"He seems to lift your mood, mon ami. How close are you two?"  
The two men looked away from each other, Zacharie watching Batter's face cringe from the reflective metal around them.

"Well…"  
Batter bit his lip as he looked away, resting his hands inside of his pockets, clearly fiddling with his fingers.  
"He makes me feel safe. He's warm, he's nice, I seem to make him stress less, he's always holding me when he has the chance.. I know you expected me to take that literally, but my puppeteer and I have a pretty good idea at what you want to hear. He just generally makes me feel less stress when cuddled up next to him, you know? I feel like nothing can hurt me, because there's this being stronger than me taking care of me."  
He suddenly looked over at Zach, looking him in the eyes as the Merchant looked up at him once more.  
"Don't let this make you think I like you any less, Zacharie."  
Batt looked away once more, eyes unfocused.  
"I still think about the fact you saved me that day. No questions even asked, really. It's been an eventful few weeks, pardon my memory… but you were really willing to take me in, just like that. You saw that I was hurt and couldn't make it on my own, so you took a leap for a complete stranger. You left me with someone you could trust, and it turned out to be great. I know that you wouldn't have left me there had you felt it could have gone wrong. I like you still, just.. I like you both the same in your own ways? In.. my own ways?"  
Batter paused as he thought of how to word it.

"I think I understand what you're going for, no worries."

"Ah, good. I do like you just the same. You seem like a really good man."

The elevator came to a stop at the bottom, the doors sighing to an open. The Purifier stepped out first, holding the doors open for Zacharie as they exited the building out the main doors.

"So, where to now?"  
Batter looked at Zach, seeming to push the conversation to a quick close, letting Zach know to move on. He had already answered how close they were before, but he guessed Zacharie is just very curious, maybe expecting some new information.

"I have a few things to drop off, I got a huge box full of plastic sea pebbles for this one elsen. He gives piercings and tattoos, but seeing as so many are afraid, not many get them. It's usually the tougher ones, you know? And even then, it's never too showy I feel. You barely notice unless you're looking, I suppose. I also have some little nik-naks from Zone 2 that I give to this other fella who runs some novelty shop. There's also the one who runs a greenhouse, I have some plants from Zone 2 for him to try and grow! I have many places to go to, so we will just make our way from one side to another, the docks are on the far side anyways, mon ami."

"Hm. Sounds like a fair plan."  
Batter stretched himself slightly, grunting at a few aching joints popping and cracking.  
"We should get walking then if we want to meet up in time then, huh?"

"You're right there, mon ami! We should. Come on."  
Zach waved his tall friend on as he started down the street to their next destination.

The streets were almost empty compared to the traffic during lunch break. It made things feel a lot more relaxing, no need to rush because of the huge crowd. As noon started to flee, the lack of clouds had made things warm, causing snow to melt. It made all the uncleaned areas have a mushy, snow and ice mixture that melted and made the pathways uncomfortable. Their first stop was at some facility near the barns, sort of in the central area of all the cattle related business, but the path wasn't entirely cleaned.

"I dislike this weather, the white shit makes it impossible to see. It reflects light, but its also cold and dark."  
Batter had his eyes squinted closed, clearly uncomfortable, scrunching his nose up as The Purifier bared his teeth in annoyance.

"I all too often forget that you see differently than I… that must be some mess to process, huh?"  
Zach looked back at his tall friend for a second, staring at the disgruntled look plastered on the other's face.

"Yes, at least the mines were cold AND dark. This is just a mess."  
Batt huffed, feeling a little pissy from how his eyes hurt still.  
"I like it better when it's warm."  
Zacharie laughed a bit, a happy sigh coming from him.

"Don't we all! It's a shame you never got to see Zone 2 while it was green! I'm sure you'll get to see it one day though!"  
He walked up to their destination, pulling the door open and waving a hand for Batter to go first. The building smelled sterile, a kind of clean smell that clung to the inside of your nose, an almost uncomfortable cleanness to the whole building. 

The two wiped their shoes on the doormatt to remove snow and slush before Zach led them to the front desk, a smile in his voice as he talked to the worker behind it. He looked less of an intern, and more of a scientist or medical practitioner. He was bent over, looking through drawers, so Zach said something to get his attention.  
"Hello, V! I've finally gotten to your order."  
The Merchant put his bag down on the floor as he started to rummage through it, the other standing up to look at the two men. 

"O-Oh! Thank you, it's about time.."  
The scientist looked interesting to Batter, he wasn't used to seeing an Elsen with such long hair as he. 

"Yes, apologies for the wait!"  
Zach pulled out a large box, opening the top like a flap. Inside were syringes, clean and imported from Zone 3.

"Ah- g-go-good, we were… starting to run out very quickly…"

"Anytime! Have you had any luck getting back into Zone 3?"  
Zach tilted his head, the other closing the box and putting it on another side of the desk.

"Well- no… it-it's been.. it's still in lockdown. E-Even if I uh… If I even could go back- you know.. I uh. I wouldn't be able to leave again- so maybe being uh.. may-maybe uhm… I uh. I guess it's for the best I am out here, huh?"

"Possibly, yes. I hope you aren't home sick or anything."

"I uh- I like to.. keep myself busy, you know? Haha.. always uh… always something to uhm.. to do."  
As the Merchant gave an understanding nod, a short moment of silence fell on them, Batter breaking it.

"So, what is it you do here?"

"A-Ah! Yes- uhm. We research the uh- the cattle here! We do just about everything bovine re-uh. Related. It- it's uh.. it's how we got those cows that produce wool for our clothing. Before we uh- we had Zone 3 make them out of plastic threads. They uh- they still do make them that way, but uh.. wool is a lot more common here- haha…"  
He drummed his fingers on the table before picking up the box with a nervous grin.  
"It was uh- it was nice seeing you again Zach! Nice uhm- nice meeting your strange friend as well- but I uh- i need to get back to work."  
Leaving a small tip, the other gave a wave and left into the back to put the box away.

Batter was glad to be out of there so fast, the stench of overused cleaner was starting to burn. Though, the fact that one of Zone 3's residents can't get back, and almost doesn't want to go back, is quite concerning to him. 

"Each time I hear more about Zone 3, I feel like my stomach turns on itself. I am starting to feel very… worried. I feel like something terrible is going on. I don't know how to describe it."  
Batt stared down at Zach, watching the look behind his eyes change.

"Well- ah.."  
He paused on his words, looking away from Batter.  
"Yeah, things there aren't the greatest, your gut is right about that… but this is one of those topics that I don't think we should be having right now."

"That bad, huh?"  
The Purifier looked away as he bit his lip, thinking. He wasn't sure what to expect from the last Zone, but he was only growing more concerned.

They had a few other stops after that one, each one not that long, just a quick drop off and a short conversation about how they were doing. A lot of businesses seemed to be doing very well, others not so much. Stores were considered pretty important in the mental health for the workers, providing some outlet after work. Even if it was a small shop, as long as it could provide something of value, it was allowed to stay open. It was neat to see how each store owner personalized the inside, they all had their own vibe to them, very few choosing to completely rip off a look.

The two's next stop was close by, a little stand, sheltered from the winter weather by being between two other buildings on the main street. The tarp above the take out/order window kept the snow off the ground below it, uncleaned slush starting to turn into ice as clouds rolled in and covered the sun once more. Luckily for Batter, this made it slightly easier to see, but it was still unbelievably painful just to exist outside still. The stand had a small table with a few chairs next to the window, the only place to really sit. On one of the chairs sat an elsen, whom Zach walked up to, Batt assumed this was the next drop off. The elsen had, what Batter thought to be, the most weather appropriate attire he had seen so far. The sweater the other had on looked like it either might be too big for him, or just really, really warm. It might also be a slight illusion because of the massive scarf covering most of his face, but it was cold, so the Purifier really couldn't blame him.

"Jack!"  
Zacharie waved over to him as he stepped up next to him and pulled out a seat for Batter, motioning him to sit.  
"I hope we didn't keep you waiting too long! Things get busy you know!"  
The Merchant laughed happily as he quickly hopped over to the window and got the three of them hot drinks, what the stand seemed to specialize in exclusively.  
"How have you been, dear Jack?"

“... I feel OK.”  
He sighed, crossing his arms, likely in an attempt to warm up. Despite the layers of clothing, it was apparent that he was still cold like the rest of them.

"Cold? I hear it's so much worse in Zone 2."  
As Zach walked back over to the table with their drinks, he sat down with the other two. The hot liquid seemed to be just plain milk, a simple drink because sugar is banned outside of a few exceptions.  
"Have you been there lately? I just came back not too long ago, it was still green when I left."

“Mrm… Maybe.”  
He mumbled, pointing at the drinks that Zach just brought. A bit hesitant, he asked, “For us?”

"Yes, of course!"  
The Merchant pushed a drink over to Jack, chuckling a bit as he watched Batter take one for himself, just staring at it.  
"Might as well sit and chat for a bit, I haven't gotten to see you for a while after all!"

“And what to talk about?”  
He faltered with his words. It’s apparent he can’t speak this language very well, along with the thick accent the man bore, not one Batter had ever heard before.  
“Because I don’t know.”

"Well.."  
Zach put his bag between his legs and opened it up, reaching inside and starting to pull out a wad of different kinds of instruments.  
"Why don't we start with what all these are for? I haven't seen you order this many ever… You make friends here finally?"  
Zach chuckled to himself, sipping on his drink. 

"If this were anything else, I'd almost think you were smuggling it in."  
Batter commented, not quite hitting the tone that would say he's trying to joke around. It probably didn't help that he didn't really do much but give a short, nervous smile, but no one said he was good with conversation.

“Mhm”, the elsen nodded quietly, moving his scarf out of the way of his mouth to have a slurp of his own drink.  
“Two, maybe more. Not sure. But they are interested to…”  
He paused.  
“... to…to do the same. I think it’s like that.”  
Zacharie nodded at him, another soft chuckle coming from behind his mask.

"Ha ha! Yes, well I am happy that you have finally started to make friends!"  
He had to make a difficult maneuver to even drink and still hide enough of his face. Batter was clearly too busy staring at the drink to even care to look over though, and Zach really could care less if Jack saw some of his face. No huge biggie, it's barely anything, everyone has a mouth.  
"Are you going to give them lessons? Or have they come pre-programmed?"  
Of course neither Jack or Batter wouldn't probably understand that, but Zacharie is a bold guy.

“Pre… eh... what do you mean?”  
Puzzled by the word, Jack tilted his head ever so slightly.

"Ah, nevermind, its a stupid joke anyways. How did you find these guys? Did the restaurant gigs get you anywhere?"

“Hm.”  
He fidgeted with his scarf, to a certain extent, before once again sighing.  
“Is it OK if... you know? I am not sure if I can say.”

"...Having troubles with a word, mon ami?"  
Zach tilted his head to the side as he spoke again.  
"I can translate the word if you need."

“It’s more. Maybe I will try…”  
He cleared his throat, gazing blankly for a brief moment before speaking up. What came out sounded like a whole other language, Batter understanding none of it. Zacharie on the other hand, seemed to understand all of it. Whatever the language was, it suddenly explained the accent, though Batt was a little curious on how this one was so clearly linguistically different from the rest, unless he had come from a place that used to speak that. And even if he had, the mere fact Zacharie could understand it meant he knew of the places existence, and had helped Jack keep his knowledge of his first language so easily.

"Ah…."  
There was a pause as the Merchant thought, translating the words over in his head for a few seconds.  
"I see what you're trying to say. Met them while performing, huh? Glad to hear you're finally making some name out here."  
He took another sip of his drink, finally realizing Batter hadn't even touched his.  
"Mon ami… You haven't even touched yours, what's wrong?"

"...I've never seen this before, that's all."

"Well, try not to worry, it's just warm milk. A common drink around this time. It's a little more expensive in Zone 2, but that's because it all has to be shipped you know?"  
Zach chuckled slightly, lowering his voice.  
"Their version of the drink is a little sweeter as well, so that adds to the price."  
Of course, the Merchant was talking about how they added sugar to their milk there, which is out right banned to do in Zone 1. Batter is still unsure as to why it's banned, but no one will tell him when he asks.

"I always ask you two what the hell is up with sugar, but you never tell me. It's starting to annoy me."

“What is sugar from? I’m not sure either.”  
The other at the table spoke up as well, admitting that he was unaware as well.

"Oh. Uh."  
Zach tapped his fingers on his cup, hesitating before he spoke again.  
"There really is a reason no one knows what it is… it really is for the best. Zone 1 has a tight ban- or uh. Restrictions? On it for a reason…"

"As far as I'm aware, the only time Dedan lets it be used is for masks for the uh.. Hmm."  
Batter stumbled on his words for a bit, not sure how to describe it.  
"He made me wear one to help purify the meat.. factory? It was where they.. I think it was for.. uh. I can't quite remember.."

"You must have hit your head pretty hard then, huh? But to be fair, it has been quite the eventful few weeks for you, so I don't doubt that you'll have problems remembering it all."  
Zach shrugged, not really sure what to say on the matter.  
"But, yes… Those masks are for covering up the smell."

"Yes. The factories smell awful, they really helped when Dedan and I were clearing it out. Though, after a while of having it on I think I started to feel dizzy…"  
Batt looked down at his drink, finally trying some.  
"I can sort of see why he doesn't like it. I still wish you would tell me, but whatever…"

"You really don't want to know."  
Zach looked between the two as he paused to sip his drink.  
"How about we change the subject, hm?"

"Okay."  
Batter looked at Jack, eyeing him over.  
"So, you play music? Zone 2 must have a thing for music if it's so easy to get instruments."

“...Yes.”, was the only answer he could blurt out.  
“Music is good. We love it. So we have many instruments.”  
He stared a bit obnoxiously at the cup he was holding.

"Ah, well I can only imagine what the Zone will be like when we go there. All the Zone 2 residents that I talk to seem to like it fairly well, I can only assume it's a fairly okay Zone."

"It's much nicer in the summer, but I'm afraid you have missed that, Batter…"  
Zach chuckled a little to himself, looking at Jack.  
"What's your favorite thing in Zone 2? Mine might have to be all the plants and greenery."

“... It is very obvious, It is the music. As I said. I think music is very important and that not many realize.”, he conveyed, playing around with the cup in his hands. 

"Really? I suppose that's why you're here then, huh? A new market to tap into here. I'd imagine some places might be more lively if they had music…"  
Batt looked Jack over, eyes constantly squinting in pain from the light, even if the clouds covered the sun.  
"I know a few places I'd like to see have some music to it.. I might have to bring it up to Dedan when I see him later."

“That would be very great. I would love to play.”  
He peered at Zach, doing a gentle nod as he audibly sighed.  
“More is better.”

"Yes, maybe Dedan and Japhet can work something out, I've seen that Zone 2 has radio stations. I don't think they reach outside of the zone, though.. perhaps something like that may improve communications."  
Zach pondered out loud, tapping the bottom of his mask as he mulled over his thoughts.  
"There's quite a few things that we have to do, so I will have to definitely add that to the list."  
Zacharie looked up at the sky, making a disappointed huff from behind the hard face covering.  
"As much as I would love to stay, I really do have a huge day ahead of us. I'll see you around again, Jack. Don't get yourself into any trouble, hear me?"  
Laughing, the Merchant tried to play that off as a joke, but Batter had some feeling that these two know each other well. Probably much better than Zach would ever lead onto.  
"You have fun with your new buddies, if you ever need more, just come find me again. I'll be leaving later today, so I won't be available for a while. Try to make those last, you can't get any repairs here."  
He got up from his seat, prompting Batter to do the same.

“No worry. I’m gonna be careful.”  
He murred, hastily gesturing with a thumbs up.  
“Bye bye.”  
He didn’t raise his hand quite far enough to make it look like a wave, as he quickly tucked his hands away.

Batter followed Zacharie down the street, looking back to see if they were a good distance away before speaking his mind.

"Okay Zach, I have a few questions from... That, and I'm sure whatever you have to say will only give me more."  
He hesitated for a second, watching the Merchant give him a curious look.  
"He had a weird accent. I haven't heard that before, and he also spoke some new language. As far as I know, no one speaks that here. Where is he from, he's clearly not from around here."

"Well, as straightforward forward as you are, that is rather rude, Batter. I know you mean nothing by it, but still. Shame on you."

"Yeah, I know. But you seem to know him, so I'm curious."

"Of course I know him, he's a customer."  
Zach scoffed at Batter, glaring at him from behind his mask as he gave the other a serious tone.  
"Our past is absolutely none of your business, if I had wanted you to know, I would have told you."

"Okay, my bad."  
Batt shut up instantly, putting his hands inside of his pant pockets. Maybe that was a little rude, but Zach was being a little weird about it, so it only made him more curious. Whatever the Frenchman was hiding, it had to be at least interesting.  
"Where's our next stop?"

"Another customer of mine, he runs a bird sanctuary downtown. It's an effort to establish a stable bird population, he had ordered some birds and the shipment just came in today. I have a few of them, but I'll have to tell him where he can get the rest. My bag can only carry so much."

"You've got birds in there? For this entire day?"

"Mmhm."

"You'd think you might want to stop there sooner then," Batter said with a small chuckle. "But honestly, how do you fit them in there?"

"Video game magic, my dear friend. If it needs to work, it just does. No need for an explanation."

"They are alive though, right?"

"Of course! Don't be so silly."  
Zach brushed his worries off each time, making Batts concerns seem almost childish. He wasn't a huge fan of being treated like that, but he was going to let this go, for now. The setting is too public anyways, a fight wouldn't be good here, too many eyes on them. It could turn too sour too quickly, plus he doesn't know enough about Zacharie, he wouldn't win. Not in the shape he's still in. Too much physical activity, and he might seriously injure himself again. The thought of it was already making him ache, he could hurt himself again all too easily.

The clouds had started to clear up once again, making the outside unbearably bright for the poor Purifier. Today's weather was oddly finicky, and Batter was not a huge fan of this at all. Winter had to be his least favourite season, it was much too bright and cold. The downtown area had the cleanest streets, probably because of all the traffic that goes through there each day. Though, the dull colours of the new season made the buildings look a lot worse than before. One could tell between the new areas and the old, the older buildings were clearly made out of some type of brick. Their several layers of paint chipped and faded away with their years of wear and tear, it made the Zone feel like it really was lived in, rather than some needed facet of an illusion to give one the feeling that this had been around long before they had come along. Store windows were frosted and smudged, their upkeep declining in the cold months to pass. The structures here were old, clearly being the first town-like area having been made. There was one building that stood out, it still seemed aged, but the glass dome it sported looked new and very well kept. Zach had stopped in front of it, giving Batter a quick second to read the sign above the door before they went in. 

This was the stop, as soon as the door opened the two of them were greeted with a wave of bird screeches in the distance. The noise was quite chaotic, and Batt felt overwhelmed instantly. 

"Birds are rather noisy, I don't like all the noise, it hurts."  
Batt scrunched his nose up, feeling very uncomfortable with the environment and how loud it had suddenly become.

"Yes, they are really noisy, aren't they? I sometimes wonder how he can even handle this."  
Zach laughed as he led his friend down a hallway, opening a door and entering into the main part of the building, the glass dome in the middle. It was sported with as many plants that could fit, what looked to be a tree growing in the middle. Perches and bird houses were scattered everywhere, the room filled with the songs and flapping of the feathered creatures. By the tree sat an elsen, the worker who took care of everything here. He didn't wear the classic outfit mostly all the workers had, more so he seemed to take comfort over fitting in with the rest, not that he really had to work anywhere else.  
"Your favorite merchant is here! And with your new friends nonetheless!"

"I don't think the tall one is a bird, but thanks for the thought."  
The elsen nervously laughed as he got up and walked over to the two men, a small grin on his face.  
"I uh.. know what you mean, that was uhm- just a uh. A joke."

"I got it, no worries."  
Zach chuckled at the other as he put his bag down, bringing out a few bronze cages and putting them on the ground.  
"I can't fit them all into my bag, so you'll have to pick up the rest at the post office."  
He pulled a card out from his pocket, handing it to the worker.  
"You know the drill, hand them the card and say that you got something from me, they will know what you're talking about. I don't have the time to make a full delivery, so apologies."

"Oh- that's uh- it's really no uh… no biggie. No uhm.. no big deal, we all uh. We all get busy! It's- It's uh… natural. Thank you- I've uh. Been needing these. The cold weather doesn't tend to agree with these fellas.. they migrate to Zone 3 for the winter, the pipes keep the Zone heated."  
Opening up the cages, the elsen let the birds go, watching them immediately fly out to explore their new home  
"I uh, usually get a lot of my birds from injured ones that get brought into me- but uh… the cold drives them away so quickly you know?"

"Oh yes, I always notice how they don't come around when it's cold. Even the sailors have noticed." 

"I uh- I can imagine. The uh…. Seagulls. They love to hang around the uh- the ships. It's free food you know? I've seen uh. There's a few nests around the docks, they all get abandoned each winter though…"

"Well, maybe one day your efforts can bring some wintertime bird around."  
Zach laughed to himself, putting his hands in the pockets of his pants.  
"Though, I would never be able to do the work myself. As my friend so graciously pointed out, the birds are much too loud. I am afraid I have to cut this meeting short because of that, he isn't used to the noise."

"They are overwhelmingly loud, it's very painful."  
Batt kept his hood up, even if it made him a little warm. It kept the sound out a little, and very bit helped.  
"They are nice creatures, but the noise is unbearable for me, I apologize."

"Oh no, don't apologize! Most elsen can't take the noise, that's why it's just me…."  
The man fiddled with his fingers, the normal, shy air to him.  
"It does get very loud, but at this point I think I've lost most of my hearing!"  
He laughed, trying to make it apparent that it was all a joke, but Batter would believe him if he had said he was practically deaf from these things. With how loud it all is, it's surprising he hasn't lost his hearing yet.

"I wouldn't be surprised, dear! We must get going again, though. Make sure to pick those birds up today, alright?"  
Zacharie gave the elsen a little wave, grabbing Batt by the hand gently and pulling him out with him.  
"See you later! Take good care of those, getting them was quite the hassle!

"Oh, I will! Don't uh- No uhm. No worries! I've been uhm- doing this fo-for years!"

They both left swiftly, the cold day air slapping them in their faces as the door closed on them. Batter groaned as he rubbed at his ears, grumbling about the noise that had just assaulted him, making him feel much too overestimated in there. He put his hands on his knees, taking a quick breather and a minute to come down from being so upset with his surroundings.

"I hated it in there."

"I know, that's why I left as soon as possible. The next stop won't be so loud, I promise."  
Zach put a reassuring hand on his friend's shoulder, kind eyes behind the holes in his mask.  
"I think you might enjoy our next stop."  
Looking up at the sky, Zach continued to talk before looking back at the Purifier.  
"It does look like we have been out and about for a good few hours, so maybe after we can grab another bite to eat. Just a small one, mostly for you. I assume you're hungry?"

"Not sure how to tell if I need food, but the thought of it doesn't make me sick, so sure."

"Is that honestly how you tell?"

"...Yes. Is it a problem?"

"Sort of, yeah. You're supposed to be able to tell if you need food or not…."  
Zach stared at the taller other, both of them falling silent as he watched he other grow a little uncomfortable with the lack of speech.  
"It's not a huge deal, though. We can work around it. I know this place around the area, it's quite nice. They make noodles and breads from ingredients found in Zone 1 and 2, its experimental, but it seems to have caught on recently."

"Hm. Well, I always do enjoy how creative they can get with their foods. They use everything, how little waste they leave is very impressive."

"Isn't it though? I'm sure you'll like this place, they really set the staple foods for their area."  
Zach gave his friend a few pats on the shoulder as he stood up again, stretching his back.  
"It's one of my favorite places to go when I'm making my rounds like this, the owners know me quite well."

"Everyone seems to know you."

"What can I say! I'm a nessecity! Can't do without me!"

"What ever would we all do if you left, Mr economy? Why, I think the Zones would crumble if you got up and went."  
Batt chuckled to himself silently, feeling embarrassed when he caught Zach staring.  
"Ah- well I thought I was funny."

"Oh- you are! I was just taking in the fact you were laughing. I don't get to see that often."

"You don't get to see me often."

"Fair point-" the Merchant giggled under his breath. "It hasn't been long, but I haven't seen you for most of the time that has past, you're very right there, mon ami."  
He pulled Batter along once more, gripping the man's hand carefully as he got them moving to their next destination again.  
"It still doesn't take away from the fact that it is nice to see you laugh and smile. You deserve the right to be given the chance to live like the rest of us."

"Is that not what I am already doing?"

"You are! It is just nice to finally see you get the chance to. Your smile is nice, by the way. You should smile more."  
Zach smirked under his mask as he noticed his friend hiding what seemed to be a flustered look, probably happy about the compliment.

"Well… Thank you."  
He coughed into his hand, looking away from the Frenchman.  
"I would say the same back, but I cannot see your face so it would be a lie."

"I suppose it would be! You'll see my face one day, when I'm ready. It is just a shame you never had the chance to willingly show me yours. Or your eyes at least, ha ha ha!"  
His last words rang out as nervous, a tone not often heard in the man. It would have been off putting if Batt didn't realize he was showing sympathy.

"Yes, well there are many things that are out of my control. You know what I can control, though?"

"What can you control, dear Batter?"

"How hard I swing."  
The Purifier cracked up, making himself laugh a little with his own joke. Bit of a cruel joke, but technically correct! Zacharie couldn't help but laugh along, patting his friend on the shoulder again.

"You're not wrong there! You can control that, yes. But even then, you cannot control how strong you are."

"I mean, I could try, but I understand what you mean."  
Batt squeezed his friends hand, feeling Zach start to let go. He rather hold hands, especially with how the crowds were picking up. Also, it was a source of warmth and he needed that.

"Trying is all you can really do with anything, Batter. Sadly we are all at the mercy of each other."

"I don't like the thought of that."

"No one does, dear. But you can protect yourself just fine, you have nothing to worry about."  
The Merchant simply shrugged the topic off, having had said his piece. He kept Batt's hand locked with his, pulling him along through the growing crowd as a shift change was happening soon.  
"So," Zach started, trying to break the silence, "how have you enjoyed the Zone? I have a feeling Dedan has made quite the impression on you."

"Indeed he has. I was a little.. Scared? At first… though he has made me feel very safe and comfortable here. At least for me, this might be the closest I get to having the feeling of home. I am hoping that our little trip here will really help. I am fond of this Zone, there is a lot to it."

"I suppose there's no need to purify it then."

"What do you mean? Of course I will. I'm already working on that, I'm supposed to purify it from the spectres, there's no change in plan."

"Oh. Hm, there must be many ways to purify a Zone then."

"All I'm doing is taking out everything thats actively trying to murder others."  
Batt looked over at the Merchant with a frown, apparently upset.  
"It's my sole goal, I am surprised you would think that I wouldn't get it done. The Zone would still be much better purified."

"How do you know when it's pure?"

"How do you know when it's not?"

"Well, I'm not sure, you'd have to tell me."  
Zach huffed a bit, staring the other over as he simply shrugged. 

"I'm not really sure either. I'm just winging this, why do you think I'd know?"

"Honestly? Not sure anymore."  
The smaller man laughed to himself, rubbing the back of his head.  
"I suppose you are just as confused, if not more so, than the rest of us, hm? Apologies for bringing it up, I suppose I didn't realize what you really mean by purify."

"It's whatever, not many do. It can be a very vague word, and a vague job I suppose."  
Batt gave a small shrug, not really seeming to mind the assumption. 

"Yes, quite vague indeed.. must be hard to have to go off your own gut feelings."

"Not really. Most situations aren't that hard to navigate when you have a bat and the balls of someone who has seen God and laughed."  
They both fell silent as the Merchant took in what the Purifier had said, almost surprised, but not shocked at the sentence. It would be pretty easy when self preservation isn't built into him, wouldn't it?

The two men stopped in front of a shop, windows covered in posters for piercings and tattoos. Going inside, the store was rather small, only a front area to view options and a desk leading to the back, where all the business takes place. On opposite walls sat displays for hand-crafted piercings, stones donned from deep within the ocean, and pictures of all the tattoos the owner had done, which wasn't actually a lot. Most of the elsen who had gotten them looked rough around the edges, like they had gone through hell and back almost. One of them was even missing an entire arm, a large sea serpent tatted around his body, the mouth sitting at the stub where the arm once was. The detail on them all was quite impressive, but Batter was more impressed by the fact that they were even brave enough to get them, his puppeteer told him that tattoos are very painful.

"Just a second!"  
A shout came from the back after the bell rang when the door opened. 

"Take your time!"  
Zach had shouted back, looking at Batt admire the displays. The walls were also plastered with posters, advertising sales and exclusive, seasonal items. The sound of loud rummaging came from behind the counter as a tired and disheveled elsen coming out of hiding.

"Ah- Zach! I've been waiting for you."  
The worker spoke softly, as they all did, but there was an air of pride to him.  
"I've been needing those new stones, I've been running low."

"Business picking up I assume?"  
Zach made his way to the counter as Batter stayed near the displays, looking over all of the artwork that had been inked permanently onto the bodies.

"Oh yes! It's uh- more workers are getting braver to get their ears pierced! Others are uh- just interested in the more uhm…. The fancy earrings, those have been going lately, especially uh.. winter themed ones."

"Well, that's nice to hear."  
Zach put his bag down as he looked through it, pulling out a smaller bag filled with polished sea pebbles.  
"It's not easy to get these! So I am glad your efforts aren't fruitless."

"Of course, me too!"  
He laughed nervously as he took the sack of rocks, placing them behind the counter and handing over a few credits.  
"Thanks for all your help, Zach. I wouldn't be able to be doing this if it weren't for your efforts."  
The worker smiled at Zach gently, appreciation seeping from his body language. He looked like the type of man to do this line of work, his own ears having multiple piercings, arms covered in little tattoos that looked like they were done in between customers.

"No problem, really! I knew they would get into it eventually, it just takes time and patience."  
Zacharie waved a hand with a simple chuckle, a smile in his voice.

"Yes, of course. So. Uhm. How are yours doing? Not fading at all?"

"Nope! It all looks just fine, you don't have to keep asking."  
The Merchant bent down and picked up a few strange items, putting them down on the counter.  
"This is on the house, I figured you might need some new ink."

"Oh! I did actually, thank you."  
The other picked the items up, mulling over them in his hands.  
"These will do nicely- thank you again."

"Of course!"  
The Frenchman jumped slightly when he noticed Batter suddenly by his side.  
"Ah- hello dear-"

"You have tattoos?"  
He sounded interested, almost excited to hear this.

"I do! I wanted to help out his business, so I would pay him to do some on me! Not like they are ever noticeable, ha ha!"

"Can I see them?"

"Sure, I don't see why not."  
Zacharie grabbed the bottom of his tops, pulling them up to show the ones on his body. His back had the biggest one, a pair of folded wings beautifully done. The rest were a lot smaller, obviously done at different times and a lot less elaborate. The piece on his back captured most of Batter's gaze before the tops fell back down.  
"There's more on my arms, but that is the best one in my opinion."

"Yes, it is very… uh…"  
Batter stopped, pondering very hard.  
"...Yeah, no. I don't know the word I'm looking for…"

"That's fine, I get it."  
Zach patted his shoulder to show it was okay.  
"That took the longest."

"Oh yeah! One of the uh- the ones that took the longest. Probably uh- second to the uh. The one who got something going around his uhm. His torso, that uh. That was hours of labor, haha…."  
The man behind the desk fiddled with his fingers, staring Batter over.  
"You look like the kind of man who would love something permanent like that on you. You should come back later so I can do something for you."

"Ah- I mean. Hm… it's an idea, I'll think about it. I guess I do have many scars to get covered…"

"I can- I can do that easily! I've uh. I've done a lot of cover ups for scars! A uh- a lot of miners and fishermen come down here for that. The uhm.. the divers! They almost always end up down here, especially the uh. The uhm… retired ones, they always end up with some horrible injury.. Dedan accommodates for them the best he can, only so much uh- so much one can do when.. uhm. Well, you know, Zone 3 is shut down. A lot of research came from there.. Dedan has had to do a lot within this Zone because of that.. fake limbs are harder to make than you might think, especially uh.. arms.. lose an arm and you're uh.. fucked!"  
He fiddled with his tie, looking happy despite his shy composure.  
"I've uh. Heard a lot of stories from the customers about their work conditions. Even if Dedan has been trying his best to make our lives easier, there's just uh… just too much… obstacles you know? Thing's were.. uhm.. easier. They were a lot easier when Zone 3 was up and running."

"Yes, things were better back then, but it won't be like this for much longer. My friend and I are going to join Dedan in going to Zone 2 to get everything better than what it used to be."  
Zach closed up his bag as he swung it around into his back once more.

"Oh, that's uh. That's good, be sure to uh. Come back and tell me about it all! I'm curious to uh. To know."

"Sure! I'll keep that in mind. We do have to get going now, it's getting late and we have to yet get to the docks."

"The docks? That's a few hours away. At least the cargo ships to Zone 2. Which one are you taking?"  
The worker tilted his head, blinking curiously.

"Dedan chose the ship, so you can assume the one he made us take, ha ha."

"Ah! I've uh.. I've heard about that ship! There's an extra room, just for the Guardian incase of something like this. I've uh- had crew members tell me about how nice the uh- the room is. Very uh- comfy bed. Not that the uh.. the others on the ship aren't. That one is just the softest I hear."

"I guess the man just likes his beds. Personally, I-"  
Batter wheezed as Zacharie gave him an aggressive elbow to the side, making him twinge in pain.  
"I...I don't quite care about how I sleep…"  
He glared at Zach, clearly angry at the hard nudge.

"Yes, well we all have our preferences… we do have to get going now, we don't want to be late!"  
Zach grabbed Batter's hand, pulling him to his side as he started to leave quickly.  
"See you later! Good luck!"  
They exited the building with haste, Batter yanking his hand away the second they were outside.

"Nudge me that hard again, I dare you."  
The man wasn't really good with threats, he was more a man of action, but he rather not assault his friend over something so small. It was only pissing him off because it really hurt.

"I'm sorry, mi amour-"

"You said amour again-"

"I only did it to stop you from saying something that might have given you a look. I wasn't sure if you were aware of the implications of what you might say. That was a little rude of me, I'm sorry."  
Zach took Batters hand and pressed it up to his mask for a second, trying to apologize.  
"Are you ready to make the trip to the docks? Or are you wanting to stop for something small first? I know I could use it."

"Yeah, sure… my stomach hurts anyways, so why not."  
Batt put his hands into his pant pockets again, slightly hunched over. Zach didn't blame the man for poor posture, he's tall and cold.

"Good! How about we go try that restaurant I had mentioned? I promise you'll like it."  
Taking his friend's hand in his once more, he pulled him along the sidewalk. Batter was already really sore from today, but there wasn't any turning back now. Maybe he really did need to just sit down and eat a little.

The sky turned grey with the colour of snow clouds rolling in from the sea. As the day grew longer and the night would be upon them all soon, street lights turned on to anticipate the oncoming darkness. The air got colder as the sun would be hidden by a blanket of clouds, making Batter shiver internally. It was clear he might need an extra layer if he planned to be out in the cold all day like this again. 

The restaurant wasn't that far away, it was a small, old looking place that could hold a few dozen at the tables. Since the workers had all changed shifts a while ago, it would be no problem to be in and out. Their decorations consisted of more exotic items from Zone 2, it gave it a special vibe. Zacharie said they wouldn't stay long, only deciding to sit down when Batter admitted he was starting to get really sore. The food itself was nice, Batt really couldn't complain. He had to admit, the Merchant really knew his food, but he was more happy to be resting for a bit. He was mostly impressed with the noodles, even if they were rather thick, it just meant they were probably made by the cooks themselves.

"You ever been on a boat, Zach?"  
The Purifier stared at his small friend, watching him manage to eat with a mask mostly on.

"Of course, I have to get my wares to the other Zones somehow! Are you afraid of going on the ship?"

"No, of course not. I am just wondering, I have only seen them from afar. Has Dedan ever been on one?"

"I'm not sure! You would have to ask him yourself when you see him later, the walk is still a few hours, even if we took a tram."  
Zach paused to eat, the two of them deciding to share a bowl of food again.  
"They aren't nearby, we went past one a while ago, it's not worth it anyways, we would have to wait for it to come around."

"Mm. Okay. It'll be worth it to walk, I already know Dedan is going to be more than happy to see me…. I am also excited to see him as well. I am going to make him pick me up."

"You seem to enjoy being held by him."  
Zacharie smirked under his mask as he looked into the others eyes.

"Yes, he is warm and strong enough to lift me up, I like that. Also, it is an excuse to take a break from all the walking, my back hurts."

"I don't blame you, but I doubt you have to even lift a finger to get him to pick you up."

"Yeah, probably."  
Batter snorted a short laugh and silence fell over them, as they were more focused with eating and getting out. Both just wanted the day to be over, as it was already painstakingly long.

By the time they got out, the sun would be setting around their arrival to the docks. They already had been on their feet all day, so the two men were nearly exhausted at this point. Batt more so, as his body wasn't used to this much activity anymore. He ached all over, but he would never dare to admit it. He really wasn't one to say much about himself overtly. The purifier just didn't understand it yet, and maybe he never will, but that's a problem for later.

The world outside as they exited was cold, a fresh, chilly breeze greeting them. The continued cold was starting to get at Batter, his body starting to feel drowsy, actions getting a little clumsy. Zacharie could tell by the exhausted look on his face, and the dullness to his eyes that he was getting worn down. He would have to hold out for a few hours, neither liked that, but there wasn't much else they could do. As time passed, the Merchant only grew worried for his friend, wondering if they had to make a stop to warm up before the stores closed. 

With the sun going down so soon, things grew darker, the nights dark hue creeping over the Zone slowly. It created a peaceful aura as they walked, Zach holding the others hand out of concern. Even the small gesture of lending a hand had seemed to perk the poor Purifier up, even a small bit. As they neared the docks, the smell of pungent fish got closer as the fish and chip stands started to appear. Zone 1 had perhaps the longest sunsets, those from the other Zones often went out at this time to take it all in, it was a popular sight. The Elsen had even made celebrations around the longest and shortest sunsets and sunrises of the year, which Zacharie found very interesting. He enjoyed the festivities, his sales always went up around those times on specific items, so he had to stock ahead of time. The first celebration was always in summer, Batter had missed it by a few months, but he was in time for the second one; not that it happened anytime soon, but it did occur during the winter months. Zone 2 had its own unique holiday that had been made up recently with the start of the uprise in gardening. The biggest harvest of the season would always be celebrated in some way, they got quite creative with how they did it each year. 

Soon enough the docks were seen in the distance, after hours of mindless walking. The sun touched the plastic sea, slowly sinking under it and lighting the sky up with dazzling colours that light up the evening. A fish and chip stand stood close to the docks, most popular with sailors as it was right there as they got off. A huge figure sat at a table right next to it, picking at their meal. Zacharie knew who it was right away, but Batt was much too tired to even keep his eyes open at this point, sleepily dragging along as the Merchant pulled him. As they approached the chip stand, the Guardian, Dedan, greeted the two warmly.

"ZACH, BATTER, IT'S ABOUT TIME YOU TWO MADE IT."  
The man's booming voice was easily recognized by Batter, his eyes opening immediately. He strolled over to the other, mumbling that he was cold, needing to say nothing more for the other to quickly scoop him into his jacket. For once, the Purifier was not met with skin, but wool. The fool actually put something on for once, even if it was a wooly sweater. Either way, Batt felt so much warmer, purring quietly.

"My apologies, I get so carried away with talking. Also, he was getting cold and started to slow down."  
Zach motioned a hand to the Purifier, the other barely paying attention as he warmed up.

"YEAH, THAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN. HE NEEDS TO HAVE AN EXTERNAL HEAT SOURCE, HE DOESN'T REALLY DO IT HIMSELF. I CAN TELL IT'S HALF THE REASON HE LIKES THIS SO MUCH, IM FUCKING WARM ENOUGH THAT HE CAN LEECH ALL HE WANTS AND I DONT FEEL SHIT."

"How lovely, it's all balanced then, wouldn't you say? You heat him up, and he cools your personality down."  
Zacharie burst out laughing, Dedan making a screeching sound from his throat. 

"YEAH, WELL EVERY ACTION HAS AN EQUAL AND OPPOSITE REACTION. MAYBE ONE DAY YOU'LL HEAR BATTER SCREAMING AS MUCH AS I DO."

"I think if I did that, I would lose my voice."  
The Purifier sleepily chuckled, the others verbally agreeing with him. Dedan offered Batter a piece of fish, watching him pull it into the coat with him and consume it.  
"I ate not too long ago, Zach took us to a nice little place to eat before we made the trek here. I won't pass this up though, last time we ate here it wasn't that bad."

"THIS ONE IS VERY POPULAR FOR HOW CLOSE IT IS TO THE DOCKS, I FIND THEY ARE MY FAVOURITE AS WELL."

"I can't really say because this is the only one I have tried, but the dish is okay, I am more of a fan of the chips. Whatever those are."

"CHIPS? THEY ARE JUST SOME VEGETABLE FROM ZONE 2, THEY GROW A LOT OF THEM."  
Dedan scratched at Batters head, looking up at Zacharie.  
"WE HAVE A WHILE BEFORE WE HAVE TO ACTUALLY BE ON THE SHIP, BUT BATT SEEMS COLD. MAYBE IT'S BEST TO HEAD IN SO HE DOESN'T FUCKING FREEZE HIS ASS TO DEATH."

"Ah- yes, you're right about that…. We really should then, shouldn't we? I assume you have things all ready then?"  
Zach put his hands together as the Guardian stood up, the other in his arms firmly.

"YES, YOUR WARES ARE ALL LOADED AND THE SHIP WILL BE READY TO GO SOON. THEY JUST HAVE A FEW LAST PREPARATIONS BEFORE THEY GO. NO HARM IN BOARDING A LITTLE EARLY IF WE JUST GO TO THE ROOM WE ARE STAYING IN. BATTER MUST BE TIRED ANYWAYS, HE HASN'T MOVED IN A FEW DAYS, AND THEN HE JUST SPENDS A FULL DAY WALKING PRETTY MUCH."

"Yes, you're probably right, he's been quiet so I don't doubt it. You okay to get on now, Batter?"  
The two looked at Batt, waiting for an answer as he stared at them behind exhausted eyes.

"...Yeah, whatever. I don't care, I'm right where I want to be."


	12. Over Sea Bumps

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dedan, Zacharie, and Batter spend their first night on the ship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter cw(s): HEAVY NSFW THEMES ALL ACROSS THE CHAPTER.

The cargo ship all three men were traveling on was a special one, it was the one Dedan had used to train the first sailors before they would go on to teach others. Everything had to start from somewhere, and the ships had started with Dedan showing them all what to do. He taught the elsen mostly everything, he had built it all up from nothing and made a piece of something. It was clearly a long time since he had stepped foot on the ship, but it seemed natural for him to be there, like he had never even left. The ship always had the best upkeep, it shipped the most important cargo. Maybe not the best to start newbies off with, but Dedan never had a choice to make it easier at the time. Plus, he found that it would make the other ships seem much easier to be on if they jumped into the waters head first. Of course that has to be metaphorical, as jumping into the plastic ocean is dangerous at any time of the year. Hot or cold, it would kill you without the proper suiting. Which is why there were so few divers, but this was a cargo ship and not the vessels made for collecting the rocks at the bottom. Zone 1 was the shipping hot spot, they had control of the seas, as any boats belonging to the other two Zones had come from the 1st one first.

During the cold winter months, the ships were often covered in snow and ice, as usually there would be nothing stopping it from falling back into the sea; only produce that had to be kept frozen were allowed to be on deck, such as meats and dairy products, because of this. The cold would drive the crew to stay more inside, doing tasks to keep the boat in shape or to check the integrity of the outer walls. There was a surprising lot to do around the cargo vessel, such as powering the furnace to keep the inside from being so chilly. It was only operated in the cold, as the boiling waters of summer kept the ship more than toasty enough. 

Although the ship was fairly warm on the inside, Batter had pretty much fallen right asleep the second Dedan had gotten them into bed. Neither blamed him, as that much activity after not moving for days would certainly tucker anyone out. Zacharie hadn't been able to see what the Purifier had been up to in his more personal time, so this was a good look into it. Batt didn't even move when the large man plopped down onto the bed, he just relaxed into the other more and went back to bed. Though, Dedan wanted to remove the sweater he had put on because it would be "too warm," to sleep with it on. He had to pawn the Purifier off to Zach for a moment, Batter giving out a tired cry when he was pulled off. The other two stifled laughs at the sound as he got comfortable on Zach, wrapping his arms around the smaller man as he sighed deeply and drifted off to sleep again. By the time Dedan was back on the bed with his regular coat on, he felt too bad to move Batt again seeing as he looked so comfy.

"WELL FUCK," Dedan said, voice lowered to hopefully not be so loud.   
"I CAN'T MOVE HIM NOW! HE'S TOO COMFORTABLE RIGHT THERE. I GUESS YOU'LL JUST HAVE TO SLEEP LIKE THAT!"   
He chuckled to himself, removing Batter's hat and gently scratching at his scalp. Zacharie had snorted in amusement when Batter purred softly at the scritches, able to feel the vibrations of it, mainly around the chest area. It came off more as a rumble than a purr, but it seemed to be used more as an emotional indicator rather than a ward.

"I think he might get a little warm in that sweater though, you don't want him with too much energy to sleep!"

"YEAH, WELL I BET I COULD TIRE HIM OUT EASILY."  
The two chuckled as Zacharie tried to give Batter back, feeling resistance.

"You'd love to tire him out monsieur, don't lie."

"YOU WOULD TOO. JUST LOOK AT THE MAN, ZACH!"

"He is very good looking, yes"  
The Merchant let out a huff as Batter made another cry when being yanked away and placed on the bed.  
"And rather cute in an odd way, but you can't fault the man for being tired."

"NOPE. NOT AFTER YOUR ASS DRAGGED HIM AROUND OUTSIDE ALL FUCKING DAY!"

"My bad."  
Zach just shrugged, biting his lip under his mask in an attempt to hold back laughter at Dedan's attempt to remove the sweater from Batt. The other was squirming around tiredly and letting out sleepy grunts as it was pulled off and tossed to the side, making some odd squeaky sound when scooped back into Dedan's arms.

"Meanie."  
Batter tiredly grumbled at the tall man, softly banging a barely clenched fist against the other before squeezing his arms around him.

"WHAT FOUL LANGUAGE! MY GOD!"

"Yeah. You keep movin' me. 'M tired.. 'top it."

"'TOP IT?"  
Quiet chuckles came from both Dedan and Zacharie, making Batter hiss slightly.

"Stoooooop. Mean. Rude. No manners."

"I HAVE NO MANNERS?"  
Dedan and Zach were both getting a kick from this, Dedan wrapping his arms around the other and petting the exhausted man.

"Mmm-mm. No manners, that's why you don't ever wear a shirt. I'm tired. Let me sleep. I'm not going to kick ass while wanting a nap."

"OF COURSE YOU WON'T, IT'S STILL A WHILE TIL WE EVEN GET THERE."  
He laughed as Batter gently put a hand on the others face "hitting," him and groaning for him to shut up. 

"Sleepy. Shut up, I had a long day."  
Batt yawned loudly, pushing his face into the others chest and yawning again. He was barely hanging onto consciousness, clearly already half asleep.

"OKAAY, WHATEVER YOU SAY YOU LITTLE SHIT."

"yeah, well you like this little shit."  
He made a lazy move to bump Dedan's face with his own, missing completely and just giving up. The poor man was exhausted anyways, barely even able to stay conscious with his eyes closed. The Guardian silently laughed, amused at how Batter just passed out before being able to even think of another sentence.

"YOU REALLY DRAINED THE FUCKER, LOOK AT HIM."

"I guess I did, didn't I? Oh well, now he's even quieter."  
Zacharie let a chuckle slip, never failing to amuse himself.

The Purifier looked so peaceful while sleeping in the others arms, even while he had scrunched up his nose in annoyance of the others teasing, the slightest bit of disgruntlement on his face still. He still looked like he could lay there for hours and not care at all while he also looked done with the others shit. The comfort he clearly took in the other mans presence leaked from every action he did, conscious or not. Batter had his legs tightly wrapped around one of Dedans as he slept, the other not seeming to mind at all. The position he was in at least looked comfy, though it could be much better. Zach never took Batt to be such a clingy man, but he doesn't really blame him. After all, it's probably for the better, it means the man is capable of feeling and expressing it. Even if he didn't want to communicate, the Purifiers actions spoke quite loudly, to Zacharie in the least. The man's body language said it all, even now as he was sprawled over the warm other, making as much body contact as possible, legs wrapped around one of the others.

"My, you sleep like this all the time?"  
Zach asked.

"SORT OF. IT TOOK US BOTH A BIT TO GET USED TO IT, BUT HONESTLY IT BECAME A RITUAL IN NO TIME. AS SOON AS HE FIGURED OUT HE COULD SUCK UP TO ME AND SLEEP RIGHT IN MY FUCKING ARMS? HE REFUSED TO SLEEP ANY OTHER WAY. FUCKER CONNED ME INTO LOVING HIM."

"It seems like you're having fun then."

"OH YEAH, SUCH FUCKIN FUN. THAT'S ONLY HALF SARCASM BY THE FUCKING WAY. IT'S NICE TO HAVE SOMETHING TO HOLD ONTO WHILE RESTING, BUT NOW I HAVE AN EMOTIONAL ATTACHMENT TO THE IDIOT. SO MUCH SO THAT ITS BECOMING A BOTHER."

"If you want to fuck him, you can just say it you know."  
The Merchant snickered as the Guardian choked on his words, trying not to screech and wake Batter up.

"HEY! SHUT UP. I'M GETTING THERE… I JUST DON'T WANT TO FREAK THE POOR MORON OUT.."

"Is this your way of saying you're hung? If so, I'm sure you could fit it somehow. Mon ami loves a good challenge anyways."

"BY THE QUEEN- ZACHARIE! YOU'RE JUST A HORNY BASTARD, AREN’T YOU? DO YOU HAVE SOMETHING YOU NEED TO SAY?"

"Nope! Nothing to say at all! Just having fun. He does really like you though, I think you might be surprised with how far you can get. I'm sure you can just choke him a little if he gets too loud."  
Zacharie winked as Dedan struggled to say anything to that, eventually just covering Batter in his coat and hugging him to him.

"YOU BETTER BE THANKFUL THE ASSHOLES ASLEEP, FUCKER."

"I'm thankful for a lot!"  
Zach shuffled over a little and reached over, petting what he could see of his friends face.  
"But I think you're more thankful he's asleep. I can tell you like him, much more than he can tell. He is wonderfully, yet frustratingly dense, isn't he?"

"GOD, YEAH. THANK FUCK THAT HE'S SO STUPID SOMETIMES. HE DOESN'T REALIZE THINGS THAT I'M GLAD HE DOESN'T…"

"Oh? Such as…?"

"UGH, REALLY? WHAT ARE YOU, A PRIEST? I FEEL LIKE I'M CONFESSING FUCKING SINS HERE."  
Dedan angrily huffed, glaring at Zach as his body was obviously more tense now. The Merchant wasn't a fan of conflict, so settling situations was something he knew well.

"Are you ashamed or something? Those are some interesting words to use. Nevertheless, I think you should try to relax, you get so defensive, dear… calm down, I'm not the prosecutor at some trial, you won't get put to death for wanting to be with another man."

"IT'S NOT THAT I WANT TO BE WITH THE GUY, ZACH! MY PROBLEM IS THAT I WANT TO BONE THE GUY. IT'S HONESTLY DISTRACTING AT TIMES! I'VE GOTTEN FUCKING BONERS WHILE HE SAT ON MY LAP. IT'S SO FUCKING EMBARRASSING, ZACH.. IT'S WHY I'M GLAD HE'S DENSE AS A ROCK!"  
There was a pause as Zach put a fist up to the mouth of his mask, covering a laugh. Dedan stared at him confused and almost offended.  
"WHAT?"

"It's why you're hard as a rock as well."  
The Merchant let out a single, loud "HAH," before slapping his knee and covering the mouth area of his mask, trying not to make too much noise. The Guardian made odd sounds, which Zach could only assume was his being flustered.

"I FUCKING WALKED INTO THAT ONE-"

"You did!"

"I REALLY FUCKING DID. FUCK YOU STILL, ASSHOLE."  
The large man hissed under his breath before sighing and pressing his teeth to Batters head.  
"BUT SERIOUSLY, ZACH. IT'S REALLY EMBARRASSING FOR ME TO WANT THIS FROM HIM. OUT OF EVERYONE, IT WAS HIM TO GET ME LIKE THIS. I HAVEN'T HAD THE TIME TO BE HORNY IN FUCKING EVER! IF WE GET TO IT, EITHER I'LL SCARE HIM AWAY WITH HOW ROUGH I MIGHT BE ON ACCIDENT, OR…"

"Ooooor, Monsieur Dedan…. He will enjoy it and want more from you. Do you honestly think that would scare him away? Are you sure you aren't dense as well? Or are you just too scared to see that he is clearly turned on by you."

"WHAT-"

"I thought it was obvious. I asked Batter some rather.. personal questions, but from how he spaced out while talking about you, especially anything to do with touching, to how he could tell between 'good weird and bad weird.' I honestly think he's into you a lot more than you'd imagine. We are going to get busy after we get off this boat in a few days. I suggest you try to get it all out of your system on the boat so you don't get distracted."  
Zacharie snickered to himself, pulling his hand away and shuffling to the other side of the bed.  
"Honestly, I think he's attracted to how intimidating you are. However that works, but I don't judge. I think all you might do is turn the poor man on!"

"FUCKING HELL, YOU'RE PROBABLY RIGHT. POOR FUCKER. I REALLY SHOULD TRY… I RATHER NOT BE DISTRACTED WHILE TALKING TO JAPHET."

"It would be embarrassing to have that happen in front of a friend, good idea."

"YEAH. NOT REALLY THE FIRST IMPRESSION I WANT TO MAKE AFTER ALL THESE YEARS."  
Dedan couldn't help but chuckle at himself, looking down at the sleeping Batter.  
"HE'S ALWAYS SO QUIET WHEN HE SLEEPS. IT WORRIES ME SOMETIMES, BUT THEN AGAIN HE'S SUCH A SILENT GUY. HE EVEN TALKS SOFTLY, FUCKER HAS VOLUME ISSUES."

"Says you."

"OH SHUT THE FUCK UP, YOU FRENCH PRICK."  
Dedan grumbled and got comfy in bed, feeling the clingy other tiredly groan and squeeze him tightly for a few seconds.  
"I CAN'T HELP IT, BUT NEITHER CAN HE I SUPPOSE. I LOVE THIS LITTLE FUCKING MORON, BUT GOD. IT WOULD BE SO MUCH EASIER IF I DIDNT HAVE TO EXPLAIN WHAT THE FUCK SEX IS. SORT OF A HUGE TURN OFF… MAKES ME FEEL LIKE I HAVE TO LECTURE A CHILD AND I HATE THAT."

"But mon ami Batter isn't a child. He's a grown adult who just doesn't know many things. Just because he doesn't know some certain things doesn't mean it's inherently wrong. He's not really held back by social pressures, and the only power you have over him is raw strength, which he also has. Look at him, does any of that scream that he's just some child? Don't treat him like a child, and it won't be like that. He's a grown ass man who can think for himself. If you want to get closer, just.. explain it to him. There's no…. Huge dangers. Just leave out the details that don't matter. You don't need to cause discomfort if he doesn't necessarily need to know."

"I KNOW HE'S A GROWN MAN!"  
Dedan exhaled in frustration, voice changing to sound more exasperated.  
"I'M JUST CONCERNED I MIGHT MAKE HIM UNCOMFORTABLE IN HIS DAMN BODY OR SOMETHING. I DON'T WANT TO SEXUALIZE HIM BEFORE HE'S EVEN READY TO BE SEXUALIZED AND THEN CAUSE BODILY DISCOMFORT YOU KNOW?"

"I get what you're saying, yes. Try to take it slow. Don't rush him, go at his pace. And for the love of all things holy, don't break the poor man by railing him too hard."  
The large man went silent as he glared at Zach, the Merchant laughing at his own joke.   
"If you don't want to make a mess, I'm sure you don't have to pull out right away after."

"GOD. YOU'RE JUST FUCKING RAUCHY TODAY, HUH?"

"What can I say? I'm just picking up on the room's energy."

"DO WE HAVE TO DROP YOU OFF?"

"Not sure, do you need a day just to fuck our little friend there?"  
Silence again, a stare off as Zacharie finally calmed down on all the sexual jokes he had been holding back.  
"Okay, okay, I'll finally stop. But don't think I won't make them again after you commit to it."

"YOU MAKE IT SOUND LIKE ITS A CRIME."

"It can be if you want it to be."

"ZACH!"  
Dedan grumbled at him, hissing under his breath.  
"ME WANTING TO FUCK HIM ISN'T THE MOST PRESSING FUCKING MATTER."  
The talking ceased as Zach tried to think of what to say, that wasn't a low-brow sexual innuendo.  
"OH MY- JUST FUCKING SAY THE JOKE. LETS GET ON WITH IT."

"...It sure is a pressing matter for your pants."  
The Merchant covered his "mouth," as he laughed, Dedans fumbled sounds humouring him more.   
"But in all seriousness, I get what you're saying… I think the best thing you can do is… show that YOU'RE not uncomfortable. Make it clear that it's normal, don't really spend too much time on details- don't go into topics that will make you or him nervous. He doesn't have any preconceptions like you do, Monsieur… If you don't pass yours onto him, at best he will teach you something you could never think of. At worst, he won't be uncomfortable in his own body. Let's not find out if the man gets intrusive thoughts, okay? And by that, I mean let's not give him a reason to develop really bad ones. It's been much too long since… well, you know. So much has happened it would be too difficult to sum up in a few words."  
Zacharie sighed and pressed into the bed, looking over at Dedan.  
"I think it'll be fine. You're worried about being fetishistic when you.. You're a man who likes a man, it doesn't matter what the hell is down there or not. He is a man, and so are you. You love him, as a man. It's- you're quite literally a homosexual."

"YEAH, I GUESS YOU'RE RIGHT ON THAT… I REALLY SHOULDN'T WORRY SO FUCKING MUCH. IT'S JUST.. DUDES BEING DUDES."

"Guys being men."

"JUST A COUPLE OF. GAY DUDES. NOTHING ABNORMAL HERE."  
The Guardian exhaled nervously, laying on his side and curling around the other cuddled up to him. He pet the Batter, smiling internally at the fact he started to purr, even while resting.  
"IT REALLY IS JUST.. THE ONLY THING STOPPING ME IS ME."

"Mmhm. And sometimes that's what holds you back the most."  
Zacharie reached over, scratching at Batt's head for a second and chuckling.  
"You really have no reason to be so worked up, Monsieur… look at the man. That's one happy dude right there. Bet he will be even happier when you turn his guts around-"

"OH MY FUCKING GOD. HERE WE GO AGAIN, YOU HORNY BASTARD. YOU'LL GET YOUR CHANCE TO RAIL THE FUCKER IF YOU WANT, IF YOURE SO FUCKING DESPERATE YOU CAN TRY FIRST."

"Thanks for the offer, but for the sake of your zipper, I think I'll have to let you go first."

"YOU'RE ON THIN FUCKING ICE."  
Dedan glared at Zach as he was silently laughing up a storm, trying to catch his breath just so he could speak.

"I guess it balances out that Batter will be on your-"  
The Merchant was cut off as Dedan tossed a box of tissues at the man, screeching in embarrassment while Zach had to stop himself from falling backwards.

"ZACHARIE! YOU DOG!"  
He was going to give him shit, but his yelling had already woken the sleepy man in his arms, something being mumbled about it being too loud.  
"AH FUCK-"  
Dedan lowered his voice as he attempted to lull the other to sleep again, petting and scritching at Batters head.  
"I DIDN'T MEAN TO WAKE YOU UP, ZACHARIE'S JUST BEING AN ASSHOLE."

"It's all in good fun mon ami, go back to bed."  
Zach laughed as he eyed the two, watching Batter pass back out in seconds. He was clearly very tired, but who could really blame the man? He deserved a rest anyways.

The Purifier was so sleepy in fact, that he stayed asleep for the rest of the two's horsing around. Luckily for them all, Dedan and Zacharie had managed to get sleep as well. There's only so many sexual jokes one can make before it's too much.

The morning was cloudy, a thick covering stopping the sun from reaching through very much. It wasn't much of a surprise, as Zone 2 had much more snow than Zone 1, the first Zone has its rainy season in the summer, and the second has its more towards the fall and winter, while Zone 3 had its during the spring. The whole cycle felt rather complete, and no doubt helped to shape many things each Zone does differently. While Zone 1 was pretty dry in the spring aside from the melted snow, the rainy season faded out into the first little bit of fall before completely leaving. Many elsen had already talked about how humid Zone 2 had gotten, but it was due to all the greenery around the place. The most common plants had to be the grape vines that curled around everything, it was a huge staple to their food, aside from cheese imported from Zone 1, as milk couldn't be transported safely during the summer due to the intense heat overseas. When they were able to harvest all the grapes, they had their own celebration where they would take half of the harvest to ferment into wine, which would be consumed during a different celebration when the first batch was ready. Clearly, they really didn't have much to do but have excuses to go have fun. The process of creating the drink had been allegedly discovered when a restaurant owner forgot a huge barrel of grapes for an unknown amount of time before reopening it, only to discover they had gone bad. It didn't take long from there for it to be pretty much perfected and made a staple of the Zone, one that was rarely exported, aside from being put on ships as something with a long shelf life. Anything they could grow inside the zone was always a lot cheaper than imports like meats and dairy. Though, cheese was always fairly cheap seeing as how easy Zone 1 was able to make it due to their milk production being fairly high, and how easy it was to ship because of a similar shelf life like wine.

Crewmates always talked about the docks of Zone 2, they said they were especially beautiful during the greener season, but they still managed to hold its looks while freezing. The winters were much colder before the plants came along, especially as they drive the humidity up the more they grow over things. With how well they were able to integrate farming into practically everything heavily influenced newer buildings and projects that the elsen would take on themselves since Japhet's disappearance. While workers native to Zone 1 would put their credit back into the zone through various means, Zone 2 workers were able to save up so they could use the credits back at their own Zone, which was often put into improving the Zone and fixing various crises. Some of that money got put into making the area around the docks nicer, more decorative than useful, but the buildings made to create a section just for the crewmates who might be in a rush had what they would need. Storage facilities, a bite to eat before the journey back, and other necessities Dedan had helped fund to put in. It was started before the Guardians all slowly lost contact, but Dedan put in the extra funds to make sure it got the basics all completed one way or another. All the rest was the Zone 2 residents doing projects to help keep up looks while Japhet was nowhere to be found. 

The last time the two Guardians had actually gotten together was long ago, and things had really changed since then. Of course, he won't know until he gets there, but the talk and tales of the fellow sailors was enough to give one a good picture of what it would look like at any season. Most comments were admiring the greenery, and how beautiful it all was at its peak each year, some were about the various bird houses around the zone, many hidden within overgrown plants. The overall vibes that the many descriptions had given a much different vibe than the first Zone. 

Even through all the information about how the Zone had changed and what it looked like now, it didn't help the fact that the three didn't even have a plan, especially because Japhet has been missing for a long while. Dedan didn't want to believe that his old friend was actually gone though, it didn't make sense to him. Then again, a lot about this situation doesn't make sense at all, he had been too busy working his ass off to bother trying to look into it too much. He sort of regretted not trying to do something sooner, but there wasn't anything he could do about it now.

What the Guardian could do now though, is spend time with the other two and try to have some sort of plan for action. Dedan had a feeling that the other two weren't really ones to plan anything, so perhaps a plan was useless overall and he could save a lot more stress by focusing on more present issues.

Zacharie was the first to wake up, as he had been missing even when Dedan awoke, which had been much before Batter. It was common for him to wake up first, so he didn't mind the time to lay back and relax before he had to work. The smaller other slept quite heavily for someone who isn't fond of sleep. It made it all the more obvious when he was awake though, almost nothing could get him up as soon as he was really passed out. Dedan had ended up just letting the man sleep as long as he needed, and Batt probably needed it. When he came to, the Guardian stretched before wrapping his arms around the other tighter, gently bonking him on the head with his own.

"LOOK WHO'S FINALLY AWAKE," Dedan joked.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm a tired guy, I need my rest."  
Batter grumbled under his breath, purring slightly as the Guardian scratched at his head, rubbing his back as well. Dedan was always very physical, especially in the morning and Batt liked that about him. The touching felt nice, he liked the feel of his large friend. Their closeness felt oddly right to him, and Batter wasn't one to question how he felt.

"YOU NEED A LOT OF THINGS-"

"Like for you to keep laying here and give me attention a little longer. We are about to.. I don't know the words… there's a lot that will happen once we get off the boat. Let me lay here a little longer."  
He put a hand on Dedan's face, sleepily rubbing at it.

"ALRIGHT, I CAN LET YOU LAY HERE A LITTLE LONGER. I DON'T REALLY HAVE ANYTHING TO DO, SO THIS IS A GOOD WAY TO COPE WITH THAT. I'M USED TO ALWAYS WORKING."

"Then take a load off, settle down a bit. Just exist in the moment, you don't have to constantly work or give a reason to exist."

"OKAY, I DON'T WANT A LECTURE. GO BACK TO BEING SLEEPY."  
The Guardian bumped his head against the other, the two pressing their faces against each other for a second. He could feel Batter stick his tongue out shortly, guessing he was trying to send a message and taking it as a sign to go a little further, though he wouldn't doubt his judgment was clouded from days past. Carefully grabbing the others head, Dedan opened his mouth and moved in, his long tongue wrapping around the others and shoving down his throat. He held for a second when he felt Batt tense up and grab at his jacket, feeling him squirm a little when he pulled it out.  
"AH, SORRY- I-"

"No, it's- it's fine. I enjoyed that- it was… it.. I don't know the words to describe how I feel."

"IT HAPPENS, DON'T DWELL ON IT."  
There was a small pause as both men thought of what to do, Dedan taking a chance and going in for it again. Surprised that he was met with an almost eagerness to go again, he wrapped his free arm around the other, feeling Batter place himself over one of his legs again. He had to give Batt plenty of chances to breathe, as he did not want to get as intense as he would have liked. However, the Guardian could feel himself pulling Batter closer to him the more he went at it.

The Guardian wasn't sure how long they had been locked together, as he was too occupied with how The Purifier's body would react to him. It was getting hard to not just do what he really wants now, it would be so easy. It wouldn't take much to briefly explain and then seduce the other, he could do it all so easily, it was so tempting.

"Mmh- stop, give me a second."  
Batter pushed Dedan's head away from him, trying to catch his breath. His face was a good few shades darker than it usually was, he felt so much warmer to the touch than normal.

"YOU OKAY? WHAT'S UP?"

"I'm fine- I am jus'.. It was getting a little.. intense. What I was feeling- that is…"

"FEELING? LIKE FEELING WHERE?"  
Dedan tilted his head, taking a hand and slowly running it down to Batt's thigh, thumb dangerously close to the man's crotch.

"Like- down there."  
Batter grabbed the man's hand, sliding it over his groin area, shuddering as his friend's fingers slid over, spreading out and almost exploring the area.  
"Yeah- there-"  
He yiped as Dedan sat up and put him on his lap, feeling the hard lump between his legs again.

"BATTER…"

"Yes?"

"THAT'S.. IT'S CALLED BEING AROUSED. IT MEANS YOU LIKE SOMEONE, A LOT. LIKE YOU FIND THEM ATTRACTIVE AND WANT TO DO SOMETHING WITH THEM."  
He held Batt by his hips, staring at the man gripping his jacket as they locked eyes.

"I've only ever felt it around you. Especially when we get really close like this."

"...IS IT OKAY IF I-"  
Dedan moved a hand to the brim of Batter's pants, slipping fingers under.  
"TOUCH UNDER THERE? IT'S SOMETHING THAT IS SUPPOSED TO HELP WITH THE FEELINGS- IN A GOOD WAY."

"Ah- sure."  
Batter watched as the larger man slid the whole hand under his pants, fingers feeling around as the other tried to visualize whatever he was feeling, honing in on that perfect little spot that was making Batter huff and squirm in his hand. 

"BATTER- I'VE… I LIKE YOU. YOU'RE A GOOD GUY, STUPID, BUT YOU MEAN WELL. YOU'RE A DUMBASS, BUT YOU'RE MY DUMBASS. AND…"  
The Guardian paused as Batter wriggled slightly from his touching, trying to read the man's face. It looked like he was trying to process what he was feeling, but he didn't seem upset, more pleased if anything.   
"YOU STILL OKAY WITH THIS?"

"Yeah- no, yeah- keep going. Just- yeah just like that-"  
The Purifier was gripping the others' jackets tightly, his face a deep grey from the clash of his white skin and black blood as the tiniest grin snuck from parted lips. He would let out a tiny grunt, pressing into Dedan as a few fingers were pushed in for a few seconds. The aggressive rubbing and exploring was making Batt's breathing a little erratic, sharp inhales and swears every now and then.  
"Oh- ffuck. Why does this feel good?"

"BECAUSE, IT'S NATURAL. IT'S SUPPOSED TO FEEL GOOD. IF SOMEONE IS DOING THIS TO YOU AND YOU DON'T LIKE IT, THAT'S NOT A GOOD THING. IT MEANS YOU DON'T WANT IT, THAT'S WHY I'M ASKING YOU PERMISSION FIRST- EVERYONE SHOULD DO THAT BEFORE TOUCHING AREAS LIKE THOSE."  
Dedan pulled his hand away, wiping his hand on his pants as he put his hand back on the other's hip.  
"IF YOU WANT TO, WE CAN GO FARTHER, BUT IF YOU'RE NOT READY YET, I UNDERSTAND."

"Hhheeyy… That was getting good, why did you stop? Of course I would like to go farther, this feels.. I don't know how to describe it, but I want more."

"OKAY, IF YOU SAY SO. I'M GOING TO TAKE IT SLOW, OKAY? I DON'T WANT TO-"

"Hush and continue already, I'm getting into this and you being all concerned for me isn't helping."  
Batter grunted and bumped his head against Dedan, still unsure on how an actual kiss is supposed to work because of the other man's lack of lips.

"YEAH OKAY, MY BAD."  
The Guardian switched around, having Batt laying on the bed as he knelt over him, hands thumbing the smaller ones belts.  
"DO YOU TRUST ME TO PUT MY FACE AND TONGUE DOWN THERE?"

"What are you going to do down there?"

"I CAN SHOW YOU, BUT YOU HAVE TO TRUST ME, AND ALSO TELL ME WHEN TO STOP IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT, OKAY? THE SECOND YOU'RE NOT INTO IT, I'LL STOP."

"Oh- pff. Dedan.."  
Batter grabbed the others face, holding their heads together and sighing.  
"I admire how much you care about me. You're big and shouty, but you're still so thoughtful. I don't understand what you see in me, but you might not understand what I see in you, so I suppose we are even. If I don't like something you're doing, you'll know, trust me."

"OKAY…"  
The huge man undid Batt's belt, hands slowly making their way back down to the part of interest as he used his palms and stretched fingers to caress his way down. He watched the other lay down calmly as he picked up where he had left off, going back to rubbing temporarily before he got to business. Batter squirmed, biting his lip as he gripped the bed to help. The Purifier didn't think he would enjoy this so much, especially as he felt Dedan finally go down on him. 

"Ah- shit-"  
The smaller other squirmed in the Guardian's hands as he felt his friend's tongue finally slither its way in and pressing up against everything, making him tense up. Unsure how to totally feel about this, Batter tried to relax and take in the good feelings, attempting to not be too loud. The tongue pushing around inside was a strange feeling, but Dedan seemed to know what he was doing, not taking too long to find Batt's soft spots. He would squeak and wriggle in the others' grip, tingles and jolts going through the shorter man as he felt the tongue get far up in there, forcing noises out of him. Just before Batter could really get into it, Dedan pulled his head away, wiping at the inside of his mouth.

"YOU WANT MORE?"

"Of course, that's a silly question, I'm very into- whatever this is."

"THERE'S A FEW NAMES FOR IT, BUT IT'S MORE COMMON TO JUST SAY FUCK."

"So that's where that came from…"  
Batt scrunched up his nose for a second as he pondered something. Probably the information he was just told.

"YEAH, I GUESS. IT'S LIKE WHAT CAME FIRST, THE BIRD OR THE EGG?"

"Ooh no, I'm not in the mood for riddles."

"IT'S NOT REALLY A RIDDLE, IT'S MORE LIKE UH. IS THE GLASS HALF FULL, OR HALF EMPTY?"  
Dedan shrugged, putting his hands on his belt and he slowly undid it.  
"HOW YOU ANSWER IS SUPPOSED TO SAY SOMETHING ABOUT YOU, BUT I THINK IT'S FUCKING STUPID."

"No, you're fucking stupid."  
Batter smirked to himself, Dedan taking a second to realize he had to take the sentence literally. As in, Batter was the stupid in question, who he indeed was about to fuck. That is, if they remain uninterrupted.

"OH- HAH. OKAY, I GET IT NOW. IT TOOK ME A SECOND TO GET WHAT YOU MEANT."  
Dropping his pants, the Guardian watched Batt jump in surprise, staring at the man's dick.

"Oh- what the fuck is that. That's. Wow, you got a whole ass extra limb on you."  
The Purifier nervously chucked, eyes almost fixated on it.  
"...Do I have one of those?"

"UH. NO. IT'S A LITTLE SHOCKING THAT YOU DON'T, BUT THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH HAVING DIFFERENT PARTS. IT JUST MEANS YOUR.. COMBINATION OF TRAITS AREN'T AS COMMON AS MINE. I GUESS I CAN PUT IT THAT WAY AT LEAST."

"Oh."  
Batt looked between it and his friend's face, almost intimidated by its size.  
"So where does that go?"

"RIGHT WHERE MY TONGUE WAS."

"I see why you started off small then.."

"YEAH…"  
A moment of silence fell on them before Dedan got into position, the two's faces looking right at each other.  
"YOU READY? YOU CAN BACK OUT AT ANY TIME YOU KNOW."

"I rather not change my mind now, this is getting interesting. I want to see where this goes before I feel the want to stop."

"FAIR ENOUGH, BATT."  
They both stared as Batter's large friend hesitantly slid himself in, the smaller man yelping in surprise from the combined size, and the pleasure of it all. He didn't quite understand why this felt so good, but if Dedan said it was normal, he would trust him.  
"OH- DID THAT HURT-"

"No- no- you're doing great, I was just. Shocked, that's all. You're big."

"DAMN FUCKING RIGHTS I'M BIG! NOW JUST- RELAX, TELL ME IF IT HURTS SO I CAN BE GENTLE."  
Dedan started as Batter nodded, trying to go slow for Batt's sake. 

Batt took deep breaths as he felt the other's thick member pushing its way in and out, the friction feeling oddly good for them both. He was grabbing at his large friends jacket, squeezing it as the feelings started to build. The Purifier couldn't help but start to pant and whine, cursing under his breath each time Dedan thrusted into an exceptionally sensitive spot than the rest. Batter shut his eyes tightly as Dedan laid over him, hugging his smaller friend to him tightly as he aggressively bucked his hips into the other.

"Wait- fuck-"  
Batter shuddered, his whole body suddenly tensing up against his will as the Guardian kept going. Although the massive build up of feelings was slightly being released, it was still strong enough to make him bite at Dedan's shoulder, moaning into it as his friend pushed on more, the man groaning as he could feel himself getting there.

"JUST A BIT LONGER, BATT-"

"Take your- take your time."  
Batt had to take his teeth out of the others shoulder to speak, pleased in the small man's voice. 

"AH- GOOD."  
Just then Dedan changed his position, being upright on his knees as he placed one massive hand on Batter's torso, another on his neck as he carefully choked him before pulling the other closer and going at him a little harder. Both of their breathing was sporadic, The Purifier unable to make any loud noises, hands grabbing at Dedan's one wrist to the hand holding him still. His nails dug into his wrist in an attempt to control how strong the feeling was as his whole body shuddered and reacted to the other. Suddenly, the Guardian aggressively shoved himself in one last time, grunting as Batter felt an odd warmth inside him. His neck was freed right away, Batt sputtering for air and slightly coughing.

"Geez, warn a guy when you're going to choke him."  
He laughed, trying to keep the air light.

"MY BAD. YOU SEEMED TO REALLY ENJOY IT THOUGH."

"...Yeah, I did, that all was very nice. You're.. very good at this, I wouldn't mind doing it again- but not right now. I am.. drained."

"OF COURSE NOT RIGHT NOW, THAT TAKES A LOT OF FUCKING ENERGY ON BOTH ENDS."  
Dedan grumbled as he pressed down on Batter, needing to thrust a little to be able to slip out. They both collapsed on the bed, catching their breath.  
"I HAVE BEEN WANTING TO DO THAT FOR-FUCKING-EVER. YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW HARD IT WAS TO- WELL A LOT OF THINGS ABOUT IT WERE HARD, LIKE COMING TO TERMS WITH MY FEELINGS."

"If it's any prize, I'm glad you got the courage to fuck me."  
Batter snickered before bursting out in silent laughter, smiling at Dedan. The Guardian was surprised at the joke, but happily laughed at it, amused at his growing humour.

"YEAH, I GUESS IT IS A PRIZE. I SHOULD CLEAN YOU UP NOW THOUGH, I DON'T WANT THE BED TO GET MESSY."  
Grabbing tissues from the nightstand, he made it no issue to quickly clean up, trying to love Batt at the same time to comfort him, even if nothing was wrong.

"Messy?"  
As Batter tilted his head and asked, Dedan held up the tissues, snickering when Batt scrunched up his nose at it.  
"Oh."

"WHY DO YOU THINK YOU COULD FIT THAT WHOLE THING? YOUR BODY MAKES SOMETHING FIT IF IT WANTS TO."

"Ah- really? Nice."

"AS LONG AS THEY KNOW HOW TO USE THEIR DICK, IT'LL FEEL GOOD."  
The large other wasn't about to go into the nitty-gritty of it all, it would ruin the moment anyways.

"You really know how to use yours, then. I had a hard time containing myself with… with how good that really was.. I'm still coming down from it, honestly. That was-"

"A LOT?"

"Yeah."  
Batter nuzzle against his dear friend, unsure about what this meant for them, but in no rush to really find out. His body felt too tuckered out, and all he wanted to do was rest.


End file.
